G7 Nations Agree to Phase Out Coal Power Plants by 2035 in Historic Climate Policy Breakthrough

The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations have committed to phasing out coal power by 2035, marking a historic climate policy breakthrough. The agreement was reached at the G7 energy and climate ministers' meeting in Turin, Italy, on Saturday.

This is the first time the G7 has explicitly referenced a phase-out of coal power. Italy's environment and energy security minister, Gilberto Picchetto Fratin, emphasized the significance of targeting coal, "the source of most emissions."

However, the final communique included language that could extend the 2035 deadline to a "timeframe consistent with limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius" above pre-industrialized levels. This caveat was likely included to accommodate countries heavily reliant on coal, such as Japan and Germany.

Why this matters: The G7's commitment to phasing out coal power by 2035 represents a significant step forward in global efforts to combat climate change. As some of the world's largest economies, the G7 nations have the potential to influence other countries to take similar actions in addressing the climate crisis.

Environmental campaigners have criticized the commitment as being vague, likely in an effort to secure a coal exit commitment from Japan, the only G7 country without a coal phase-out date. The commitment falls short of the goal of decarbonizing power sectors in the G7 nations by 2035, which would require phasing out coal by 2030 and gas power by 2035.

The United States has also announced new rules that will require coal-fired power plants to capture nearly all of their climate pollution or shut down by 2039. While this agreement represents progress, concerns remain about the fossil fuel industry's determination to extract every molecule of oil and gas, and the lack of concrete plans by countries and companies to phase out fossil fuels.

UK minister Andrew Bowie described the deal as "historic", noting that it sets a timeline for the transition away from fossil fuels that was agreed at last year's COP28 climate summit. The G7 nations hope that their commitment will influence other major emitters, particularly China, which accounts for two-thirds of new coal installations worldwide, to take similar steps in phasing out coal power

Key Takeaways

• G7 nations commit to phasing out coal power by 2035, a historic climate policy breakthrough.
• Commitment includes a caveat to extend the deadline to align with 1.5°C warming limit.
• G7 commitment aims to influence other major emitters like China to phase out coal.
• US to require coal plants to capture emissions or shut down by 2039.
• Concerns remain about fossil fuel industry's determination and lack of concrete phase-out plans.