Officials urge action on harmful global energy source: 'There are still significant challenges to be overcome'

Coal has long been one of the world's most polluting energy sources, but a path to finally winding down reliance on it at scale is becoming clearer. 

At the United Nations' COP30 climate summit in Brazil, experts suggested that roughly one-third of the world's operating coal power plants could be retired early and replaced with clean energy by 2030. It would represent a major step toward reducing planet-heating pollution and improving public health. 

As Earth.org detailed, two reports were published by the Coal Transition Commission, a global initiative chaired by France and Indonesia and supported by the Powering Past Coal Alliance. 

Together, they outline practical solutions for governments, utilities, and financiers to shut down coal plants — including relatively young ones — and replace them with renewable energy systems.

Coal was responsible for 41% of global fossil carbon dioxide pollution in 2024, despite generating only about a third of the world's energy. 

Its extraction and combustion are also linked to toxic air and water pollution, contributing to respiratory illness, heart disease, and thousands of premature deaths each year. 

Phasing it out is widely seen as one of the most urgent actions needed to slow rising global temperatures and protect communities.

According to the first report, around 150 gigawatts of coal capacity worldwide — about 34% of the assessed fleet — presents near-term opportunities for early retirement. 

Surprisingly, some newer coal plants may be easier to close, thanks to options such as refinancing debt, restructuring contracts, or using transition credits to support early shutdowns.

"While there are still significant challenges to be overcome, we are making good progress," Julia Skorupska, head of the Powering Past Coal Alliance Secretariat, told Earth.org. 

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"If we are able to scale up the project pipeline, we should be able to significantly increase the number of retirement projects before 2030." 

A second report explored how limited, short-term flexibility in coal plant operations could help integrate renewable energy — as long as strict safeguards prevent coal use from being prolonged.

"Phasing out coal is not only one of the most urgent climate challenges — it is also a key opportunity to foster sustainable growth while ensuring energy security and sovereignty," said Éléonoire Caroit, France's minister for international partnerships, in a statement. 

"These reports show that practical solutions are emerging, which now need to be scaled up."

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