Pages tagged by "Centre for Climate Economics and Policy"

Coal transition: power sector, regional adjustment and policy

Coal use will need to decline dramatically to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. In Australia, renewables are rapidly gaining in cost competitiveness with coal-fired power, and there is the prospect of structural decline in the market for thermal coal exports. This means challenges for power sector policy, and regional adjustment where coal plants close and activity in mining and transport of coal declines.

Coal, climate change mitigation and populism

In order to fulfil international climate targets, across the globe coal used in the energy sector will need to be phased out until mid-century, at the latest. This is at odds with current investment patterns. Many countries, particularly developing and newly-industrializing ones, continue to invest in coal fired power plants. Based on research conducted at the Mercator Institute of Climate Change and Global Commons, this talk will give an overview of reasons for current coal investments and why a phase out of coal is often difficult and needs to be designed carefully.