Glasgow: US Climate secretary John Kerry says his country is backing part of a draft UN Climate deal that calls for phasing out the use of “unabated” coal and ending at least some fossil fuel subsidies by governments.
Kerry spoke to fellow national delegations in the closing hours of the UN Climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland Friday, laying out the US take on what should be in the final agreement by about 190 governments.
Kerry supported one of the most-talked-about new provisions in the draft deal — a statement that would encourage governments to stop the dirtiest-burning kind of coal-fired power plants and “inefficient” subsidies to fossil fuel industries.
Climate groups welcome the explicit targeting of climate-wrecking fossil fuels in the draft. But like a lot of the terms being debated, it’s not clear just what negotiators mean by “unabated.” That could range from standard scrubbers on smokestacks to cutting-edge technology.
“We’re not talking about eliminating” coal, Kerry told fellow climate diplomats. Referring to coal’s particularly damaging impact on the environment, he asked, “how could we possibly in 2021, knowing what the evidence is, be wishy-washy on that subject?”
AP
