OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Energy Ministers of G7 countries have reached a consensus on commitment to phase out existing unabated coal power generation in energy systems in their countries during the first half of the 2030s.
This is a major outcome on something the G7 has never before been able to find common ground on due to significant domestic differences among member nations.
The decision is consistent with the IEA's 2023 Net-Zero Roadmap Report, which updates earlier IEA analysis to indicate advanced economies should phase out coal by 2035. The U.S. Energy Department said the United States will advance this major commitment throughout major 2024 negotiations, including the G20 under Brazil's Presidency, and COP29.
The G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate, Energy and the Environment, held in Turin, Italy, reached consensus on a range of energy and climate actions, including global energy storage and phasing out harmful non-CO2 pollutants.
The G7 also committed to a quantitative global goal to increase energy storage in the power sector to 1500 GW in 2030.
The Ministerial Communique also includes a commitment to promote responsible deployment of nuclear technologies, and condemned Russia's seizure and militarization of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The G7 further broke new ground in committing to phase out the use of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in new switchgear applications by 2035. SF6 is an energy-sector gas. Its emissions are 23,500 times more potent than CO2 with an atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years.
The G7 is an intergovernmental forum of seven major economies and democratic allies, consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States; the European Union also participates. The G7 meets each year to discuss pressing political and economic issues and coordinate policy, culminating in a Leaders' Summit. G7 heads of state will meet in Apulia, Italy, during June 13-15.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
