The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) is a group of 166 countries, cities, regions and organisations aiming to accelerate the
fossil-fuel phase out of
coal-fired power station
A coal-fired power station or coal power plant is a thermal power station which burns coal to generate electricity. Worldwide, there are about 8,500 coal-fired power stations totaling over 2,000 gigawatts capacity. They generate about a th ...
s, except the very few which have
carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it ( carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia. Usually ...
.
It has been described as a "non-proliferation treaty" for fossil fuels.
The project was undertaken with financial support from the
Government of Canada, through their environmental department known as
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ...
.
History
The Alliance was launched by
Canada and the
UK at the
COP23 climate summit in November 2017. Announcing the launch,
Climate Action Network
Climate Action Network - International (CAN) is a global network of over 1,300 environmental non-governmental organisations in over 130 countries working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecol ...
-Canada Executive Director Catherine Abreu said:
By the end of the summit, membership had grown to include over 20 countries, regions and organizations.
Within a month membership had grown to over 50 .
Its purpose is to establish a new international norm, or “standard of appropriate behaviour”, that coal should not be burned for power.
In April 2018 a research partnership was announced with
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Bloomberg Philanthropies is a philanthropic organization that encompasses all of the charitable giving of founder Michael R. Bloomberg. Headquartered in New York City, Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses its resources on five areas: the environme ...
.
In October 2018 the South Korean province of
South Chungcheong became the first jurisdiction in Asia and the largest user of coal power to join the Alliance.
In December 2018
Sydney,
Melbourne,
Scotland,
Scottish Power,
Senegal and
Israel also joined
and in September 2019 seven new members joined including
Germany and
Slovakia.
In June 2020 6 global finance organisations joined including
Desjardins Group
The Desjardins Group (french: Mouvement Desjardins) is a Canadian financial service cooperative and the largest federation of credit unions (french: caisses populaires) in North America. It was founded in 1900 in Lévis, Quebec by Alphonse D ...
, the first major North American financial institution to join.
During 2021 at least 38 new members joined including
Hungary,
Uruguay,
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
,
Estonia,
Singapore,
Slovenia and
Ukraine.
Aims
Alliance members agree that:
* Governments/states will phase out existing traditional coal power.
* Governments/states will create a moratorium on any new traditional coal power stations without operational carbon capture and storage.
* Businesses/organisations will power operations without coal.
* Members will ensure policies and investments support clean power.
* Members will restrict financing for traditional coal power without carbon capture and storage.
Reaction
Reacting to the launch, Tracy Carty of
Oxfam said the Alliance:
Business change organisation
The B Team
The B Team is a global nonprofit initiative co-founded by Sir Richard Branson and Jochen Zeitz. It advocates for business practices that are more centered on humanity and the climate.
History
In 2013, a group of leaders came together following ...
welcomed the Alliance, and argued that exiting coal must happen as a
just transition
Just transition is a framework developed by the trade union movement to encompass a range of social interventions needed to secure workers' rights and livelihoods when economies are shifting to sustainable production, primarily combating climat ...
that protects vulnerable workers and communities such as
coal mining communities.
Members
Members of the Powering Past Coal Alliance as of April 2022 were:
Nations
#Albania
#Angola
#Austria
#Azerbaijan
#Belgium
#Canada
#Chile
#Costa Rica
#Croatia
#Denmark
#El Salvador
#Estonia
#Ethiopia
#Fiji
#Finland
#France
#Germany
#Greece
#Hungary
#Ireland
#Israel
#Italy
#Latvia
#Liechtenstein
#Lithuania
#Luxembourg
#Marshall Islands
#Mauritius
#Mexico
#Montenegro
#Netherlands
#New Zealand
#Niue
#North Macedonia
#Peru
#Portugal
#Senegal
#Singapore
#Slovakia
#Slovenia
#Spain
#Sweden
#Switzerland
#Tuvalu
#Ukraine
#United Kingdom
#Uruguay
#Vanuatu
Sub-national entities
#Alberta, Canada
#Australian Capital Territory, Australia
#Baden-Württemberg, Germany
#Balearic Islands, Spain
#British Columbia, Canada
#California, USA
#Connecticut, USA
#Daegu, South Korea
#Durban, South Africa
#Eastern Wielkopolska, Poland
#Gangwon, South Korea
#Guimaras, Philippines
#Gyeonggi, South Korea
#Hawaii, USA
#Honolulu, USA
#Ilocos Norte, Philippines
#Incheon, South Korea
#Jeju, South Korea
#Jeollanam, South Korea
#Kaohsiung City
#Koszalin, Poland
#Kyoto City
#Los Angeles, USA
#Masbate, Philippines
#Melbourne, Australia
#Minnesota, USA
#Negros Occidental, Philippines
#Negros Oriental, Philippines
#New Jersey, USA
#New Mexico, USA
#New Taipei City
#New York, USA
#Ontario, Canada
#Oregon, USA
#Ormoc, Philippines
#Philadelphia, USA
#Puerto Rico
#Quebec, Canada
#Rotterdam, Netherlands
#Scotland, UK
#Seoul, South Korea
#South Chungcheong, South Korea
#Sydney, Australia
#Taichung City, Taiwan
#Vancouver, Canada
#Wales, UK
#Wałbrzych, Poland
#Washington, USA
Businesses and other organisations
#
Aberdeen Standard Investments
Abrdn plc (stylised as ‘abrdn’, disemvoweling of "Aberdeen"), formerly Standard Life Aberdeen plc, is a United Kingdom-based global investment company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a ...
#
Alterra Power
#
Amundi
Amundi is a French asset management company. With €2 trillion of assets under management (AUM) at the end of 2021, it is the largest asset manager in Europe and one of the 10 biggest investment managers in the world.
Founded on 1 January 2010, ...
#ArcTern Ventures
#
Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that makes software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquartered ...
#Avant Garde Innovations
#
Aviva
Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, England. It has about 18 million customers across its core markets of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada. In the United Kingdom, Aviva is the largest general ...
#
Axa Investment Managers
Axa Investment Managers (Axa IM) is a global investment management firm with offices in over 22 locations worldwide. As of 31 December 2021, it manages over €887 billion in assets on behalf of institutional and retail clients. It operates as th ...
#
BT
#
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ; ) is an institutional investor that manages several public and parapublic pension plans and insurance programs in Quebec. CDPQ was founded in 1965 by an act of the National Assembly, under the gov ...
#
Caisse des dépôts et consignations
The Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC; ) is a French public sector financial institution created in 1816, and part of the government institutions under the control of the Parliament. Often described as the "investment arm" of the French ...
#
CalPERS
The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is an agency in the California executive branch that "manages pension and health benefits for more than 1.5 million California public employees, retirees, and their families".CalPERSF ...
#
Capital Power
#CCLA Investment Management Limited
#Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church and Epworth IM
#
Church Commissioners for England
#
Church of England Pensions Board
#
Desjardins Group
The Desjardins Group (french: Mouvement Desjardins) is a Canadian financial service cooperative and the largest federation of credit unions (french: caisses populaires) in North America. It was founded in 1900 in Lévis, Quebec by Alphonse D ...
#
Diageo
Diageo plc () is a multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweichow Moutai of China in 2017 ...
#
Drax
#
DSM
#
DTEK
DTEK ( Ukrainian: ДТЕК) is the largest private investor in the energy industry in Ukraine. The company's enterprises generate electricity at solar, wind and thermal power plants; extract coal and natural gas, trade energy products in the Ukra ...
#
Econet Group
#EcoSmart
#
EDP
#
Electricité de France (EDF)
#
Eneva
#
Engie
#Ethos Foundation
#
Export Development Canada
Export Development Canada (EDC; french: Exportation et développement Canada) is Canada's export credit agency and a state-owned enterprise wholly owned by the Government of Canada. Its mandate is to support and develop trade between Canada and ot ...
#
Fidelity International
Fidelity International Ltd, or FIL for short, is a company that provides investment management services including mutual funds, pension management and fund platforms to private and institutional investors. Fidelity International was originally es ...
#
Generation Investment Management
Generation Investment Management LLP (Generation IM) is a financial services and investment management firm founded in 2004. It was co-founded by former US Vice President Al Gore and Goldman Sachs' Asset Management head David Blood, with a stated ...
#GeoExchange Coalition
#GreenScience
#
Hermes Investment Management
#
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
#
Iberdrola
Iberdrola () is a Spanish multinational electric utility company based in Bilbao, Spain. Iberdrola has a workforce of around 34,000 employees serving around 31.67 million customers. Subsidiaries include Scottish Power (United Kingdom) ...
#
Impax Asset Management
#
Indika Energy
#
Kering
Kering () is a French-based multinational corporation specializing in luxury goods. It owns the brands Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent.
The timber-trading company Pinault S.A. was founded in 1963, by ...
#
Legal & General
#
Lloyds Bank
#
M&G Plc
#
Marks and Spencer
#
Mott MacDonald
#
National Grid
#
National Grid (ESO)
#
Natura Cosmetics
#
NatWest
#
Ontario Power Generation
#
Ørsted
#Pacific Islands Development Forum
#PensionDanmark
#
Robeco
Robeco is an originally Dutch asset management firm, since 2013 part of Orix, founded in 1929 as the Rotterdamsch Beleggings Consortium (Rotterdam Investment Consortium). As of 2014, the company had €246 billion of assets under management. It ...
#
Salesforce
#
Schroders
#SCOR Global Investments
#
Scottish Power
#
SSE
#
Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP
#
Storebrand
Storebrand is a financial services company in Norway. By volume, the company's main activities are related to life insurance and pension savings. However, the company also has major divisions working on investments, banking and, until 1999 and ...
#
Swiss Re
Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd,
Swiss Re. Retrieved on 18 January 2011. "Swiss Reinsurance Company Ltd ("Swiss Re") ...
#
TransAlta
TransAlta Corporation (formerly Calgary Power Company, Ltd.) is an electricity power generator and wholesale marketing company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a privately owned corporation and its shares are traded publicly. It o ...
#
Unilever
Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, ...
#
United Church of Canada
#
Vancity
Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, commonly referred to as Vancity, is a member-owned financial co-operative headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. By asset size, Vancity is the largest community credit union in Canada , with ...
#
Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company
Varma Pension Insurance Company (Finnish: ''Keskinäinen työeläkevakuutusyhtiö Varma'') is a pension insurance company in Finland. Varma manages statutory TyEL insurance for employees and YEL insurance for the self-employed and statutory voca ...
#
Virgin Group
#XPND Capital
#
ZE PAK
See also
*
Peak coal
Peak coal is the peak consumption or production of coal by a human community. Global coal consumption peaked in 2013, and had dropped slightly by the end of the 2010s.
The peak of coal's share in the global energy mix was in 2008, when coal accou ...
*
Beyond Coal The Beyond Coal movement is a campaign by environmental group the Sierra Club to promote renewable energy instead of coal. Their primary objective is to close coal power plants in the United States, including at least one-third of the country's mo ...
*
Under2 Coalition
The Under2 Coalition is a coalition of subnational governments that aims to achieve greenhouse gases emissions mitigation. It started as a memorandum of understanding, which was signed by twelve founding jurisdictions on May 19, 2015 in Sacrame ...
*
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group –
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a group of 97 cities around the world that represents one twelfth of the world's population and one quarter of the global economy. Created and led by cities, C40 is focused on fighting climate change ...
*
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
References
External links
*
*{{Twitter, PastCoal
Coal phase-out
Emissions reduction
Energy policy
Technological phase-outs