18 more countries agree to phase out coal at COP26

Eighteen more countries have agreed to phase out coal power use at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, the UK government said late on November 3, including the significantly coal-dependent nations of Poland, Vietnam, Chile and Morocco.

The pledge now includes a 190-strong coalition of countries that have agreed to end all investment in coal-fired power generation domestically and internationally. Major economies have committed to phasing out coal power completely in the 2030s, while others in the group will take this step in the 2040s.

The signatories have also pledged to rapidly scale up deployment of clean power generation and ensure there is a just transition from coal power that benefits workers and communities.

"The world is moving in the right direction, standing ready to seal coal's fate and embrace the environmental and economic benefits of building a future that is powered by clean energy," UK business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said in a statement.

Notably absent from the group are the world's three biggest coal consumers: China, India and the US. China alone used 82.27 exajoules (EJ) of coal last year, according to BP's latest statistical energy review, while India consumed 17.54 EJ and the US 9.20 EJ.

China, Japan and Korea, the three largest public financiers of coal, have agreed to end overseas funding for coal power generation by the end of this year, however.