Tag: coal

In climate landmark, China promises to end coal funding overseas

by Shaun Tandon with Issam Ahmed in Washington Agence France-Presse UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – China will stop funding coal projects overseas, President Xi Jinping announced Tuesday, all but ending the flow of public aid for the dirty energy contributing to the climate crisis. Xi made his announcement at the UN General Assembly where US President Joe Biden, seeking to show leadership in a growing competition with China, promised to double Washington’s contribution to […]

‘No time to waste’ warns Japan climate activist

by Natsuko FUKUE Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) – Kimiko Hirata has spent nearly half her life fighting to wean Japan off its dependence on coal, and now isn’t the time to slow down, the award-winning activist warns. “I’m hopeful, but we have no time to waste,” said Hirata, the international director of Japan’s Kiko Network NGO. “Our future will be gone if we don’t act now,” she told AFP. It’s a message that Hirata, […]

UK govt gives nod to new coal mine, enraging climate groups

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain on Thursday effectively approved a new deep coal mine in northwest England, opting to leave the decision to the local authority which has already given the provisional green light. The decision to allow the country’s first new deep coal mine in decades came after a long-running campaign against the project by environmental groups, which accused the government of undermining its climate pledges. The project, whose developer is Australian-owned West […]

Romania’s mining heartland faces up to post-coal future

by Mihaela RODINA and Ionut IORDACHESCU Agence France-Presse PETROSANI, Romania (AFP) — In the large, dark locker room of southern Romania’s Lonea coal mine, 20-year-old Liviu dons his uniform and helmet before embarking on a six-hour shift in a vanishing industry. “I found this job interesting because you retire faster, when you reach 45 years old,” Liviu tells AFP before descending 400 metres underground in an elevator dubbed “the birdcage” by his fellow miners. But whether […]

Last major Aussie bank ditches coal, in fresh blow to sector

by Andrew BEATTY / with Holly Robertson in Brisbane Agence France-Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s ANZ became the country’s last major bank to walk away from thermal coal investments Thursday, delivering a fresh blow to a sector facing export market upheaval and widespread public hostility. The bank said that from 2030 it would no longer finance thermal coal mines or coal-fired power stations, joining Australia’s other “big four” banks who have already made similar […]

Weak demand pushing oil, gas toward ‘terminal decline’: report

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Falling fossil fuel demand coupled with mounting risk for investors could slash the value of oil, gas and coal reserves by two thirds, sending shock waves through the global economy, energy analysts warned Thursday. The value of projected profits for the sector could also fall by two thirds, according to a report from Carbon Tracker, a non-profit financial think tank focused on aligning capital markets with […]

Protesters occupy disputed German coal mine

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany (AFP) — Activists occupied Germany’s newest power plant on Sunday to protest against a law passed last week to end coal electricity generation, but which environmental groups argue is insufficient. Police said more than 100 protesters entered the site of the Datteln 4 coal-fired power plant in western Germany. The organizers, a protest group called Ende Gelaende (Game Over), put the number at 150. The group said in a statement that their […]

Australian coal use an ‘existential threat’ to islands: Fiji PM

  SUVA, Fiji (AFP) — Fiji on Monday challenged Australia to do more on climate change ahead of a regional summit of Pacific nations this week, warning Canberra’s  reliance on coal posed an “existential threat” to low-lying islands. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Australia should recognize the threat climate change poses to Pacific island nations. “I appeal to Australia to do everything possible to achieve a rapid transition from coal to energy sources that do […]

Ilang civil society group, suportado ang panukala na patawan ng gobyerno ng mas mataas na buwis ang coal

Ni Mar Gabriel Eagle News Service Suportado ng ilang civil society group ang panukala na patawan ng mas mataas na buwis ang coal upang makaipon ng pondo ang gobyerno. Pero ayon sa Sanlakas at Freedom from Debt Coalition, dapat tiyakin na wala itong pass-through provision kung saan sa consumer na naman ito sisingilin ng mga power company. Ayon kay Aaron Pedrosa, secretary general ng Sanlakas, sa halip na umasa sa coal na marumi at may […]

Surge in coal pollution led to smaller newborns: study

by Marlowe HOOD PARIS, France (AFP) — In fresh evidence about the dangers of coal pollution, a scientist on Monday said a switch to coal-fired power in a southern United States state after a nuclear accident in 1979 led to a sharp fall in birthweight, a benchmark of health. The study looked at the aftermath of the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania, which caused two nuclear plants in Tennessee to be shuttered and their […]

Trump moves to roll back Obama climate measures

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump declared the end of a “war on coal” Tuesday, as he moved to curb rules that underpin American emissions targets and a major global climate accord. Following through on an election promise, Trump signed an order to review some of his predecessor Barack Obama’s climate legacy, declaring an end to “job-killing regulations.” In a maiden trip to the Environmental Protection Agency, […]

N. Korea lashes out at ally China for coal import ban

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea denounced its chief ally and diplomatic protector China for “dancing to the tune of the (United States)” after it banned coal imports in apparent punishment for a missile launch. Beijing and Pyongyang have a relationship forged in the blood of the Korean War, but ties have begun to fray in recent years, with China increasingly exasperated by its wayward neighbor’s nuclear antics. Last week it announced the suspension […]