Finally, it’s landed on coal, at least in the United Kingdom. The UK government announced today it would bring legislation to curb new licenses on coal mining. That will make the UK one of the first countries globally to effectively ban coal mining, the result of a string of decisive steps by the country over the last couple of years to strip coal out of the country’s energy mix. This legislative measure, which is likely to be enacted as soon as possible, is going to be a tremendous leap toward following through with the UK’s promise of cutting carbon emissions and fighting climate change.
Coal has long been one of the main carbon-emitters. Coal was also the source of energy-related CO2 emissions for 45%, derived from fuel combustion during the year 2022, as according to International Energy Agency. That places it head and shoulders above oil, which contributed 33%. Coal also remains one of the most used energy sources worldwide, making up 28% of global energy supply last year. However, governments are realizing that reducing dependence on coal is an inevitable step as climate targets become ever-stricter. As a study by the IEA suggests, going so far as to invest nearly $10 trillion until 2050 would be needed in order to eliminate coal-powered electricity.
The UK made a serious step towards cutting back on coal earlier this month. Back in September, the final remnants of coal-fueled electricity disappeared as the UK’s last coal power plant ceased operations, marking the end of coal in the electricity supply of the nation. That is a huge change from 2012 when coal accounted for about 40% of the country’s electricity. The government added flavor to phasing out coal power in its announcement, pointing out health benefits expected when improved air quality arrives but also adding how critical that impact is on climate change mitigation-helping keep warming within the targeted 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold.
This announcement is inline with the aggressive climate action commitment that Prime Minister Keir Starmer made public on COP29 Climate conference. Starmer declared that the UK will take on a fresh Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 81% by 2035. Starmer ended the ban on onshore wind energy; he put new oil and gas licenses in North Sea off, and issued Great British Energy, the public energy firm committed to clean energy investment with more than $10 billion in government support since taking office. This also includes plans for £21.7 billion to be spent on carbon capture technology in the next 25 years, which will further reduce over 8.5 million tonnes of industrial carbon emission annually.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said it is historic to note that coal had been important to the UK for centuries, though the country was now leading globally in phasing out coal. “Coal has been an important source of energy in the UK for a long time, but the country has transitioned from being a dependent economy into its current status, making it a global leader in phaseout,” Shanks said. “This commitment is a tremendous step toward reducing the world’s largest source of carbon emissions, and great progress in the global climate fight,” he added.