The most technologically advanced countries have committed to phasing out coal by 2035, but with a caveat.
In a statement published after negotiations between energy, climate, and environment ministers in Turin, Italy, the group disclosed their intent to "phase out current unabated coal power generation in our energy structures during the early part of the 2030s," marking a significant milestone in climate policy that G7 representatives had previously been unable to attain in numerous years of discussions.
However, by specifying "unabated" coal, the agreement leaves leeway for nations to utilize the fossil fuel beyond 2035 if its carbon emissions are captured prior to releasing into the atmosphere.
Moreover, the agreement contains a clause stating that nations may opt for a "timeline consistent with keeping a cap on a 1.5°C temperature increase within reach, consistent with countries' net-zero trajectories."
This clause appears to permit countries to maintain coal usage past 2035, as long as their cumulative national emissions don't contribute to global warming beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Scientific research indicates that some planetary ecosystems could approach tipping points or struggle to adapt beyond this threshold.
Among the G7's member countries, which encompass some of the most economically developed nations, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada use coal for less than 6% of their electricity production, while France employs virtually no coal. However, coal still constitutes 32% of Japan's electricity mix, 27% of Germany's, and 16% of the United States'. According to the think tank Ember.
The announcement followed the US Environmental Protection Agency's recent declaration of new rules mandating that coal-fired power plants either capture almost all of their climate pollution or shut down by 2039. CNN has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.
When correspondents questioned the caveats in the G7's agreement, Italian Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin defended the agreement, emphasizing that the verbiage signifies "G7 countries undertake to eliminate the use of coal, without jeopardizing the various nations' economic and societal stability."
The language is less stringent than what UK minister Andrew Bowie stated to a reporter on Monday: that the group had reached a consensus to terminate coal by 2035, omitting any reference to unabated coal or potential schedule adjustments.
Nonetheless, several climate policy experts applauded the declaration, describing it as a breakthrough after multiple years of impasses concerning the issue.
"Affixing a closing date on the coal epoch is precisely the type of leadership we require from the wealthiest countries in the world," commented Jennifer Layke, the global director for energy at the World Resources Institute. "This choice offers hope to the rest of the world, demonstrating that the transition away from coal can occur much more swiftly than some supposed conceivable."
However, the think tank Climate Analytics stated that, while the announcement would exert pressure on Japan, the only G7 member lacking a specific date to discontinue coal, a 2035 timeline is insufficient for confining global warming to 1.5 degrees.
An assessment by the think tank indicates that all coal usage in G7 nations must cease by 2030 at the latest, and natural gas usage should end by 2035, in order to prevent global warming from exceeding the 1.5-degree threshold.
"Several of these countries have already publicly declared phase-out dates before 2030, and most possess insignificant coal capacity," said Jane Ellis, the head of climate policy at Climate Analytics.
It's also noteworthy that the transition to renewable resources was not addressed in the agreement, Ellis added. "In the past decade, gas has been the primary source of the global increase in CO2 emissions, and many G7 administrations are investing in new domestic gas facilities. This is an improper direction to be heading in - both economically and from a climate standpoint."
The G7 should expedite the transition to renewable energy, Ellis concluded.
Fossil fuels are primarily responsible for driving the climate crisis, with coal being the most polluting fossil fuel. But establishing a termination date for coal has been a highly contentious topic. Japan has repeatedly obstructed progress on the issue during past G7 gatherings.
Almost every country agreed last year to transition from fossil fuels at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, but the absence of a specific coal phase-out date was perceived as a deficiency in those negotiations.
The G7 often assumes a leadership position on global climate policy. Typically, the group's decisions influence or trickle down to the G20, consisting of other significant emitters, such as China and India, along with major fossil fuel producers, like Saudi Arabia and Russia.
(This story has been updated with additional information.)
(CNN's Ella Nilsen and Laura Paddison contributed to this report.)
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