At COP28, the U.S. finally joined a six-year-old compact called the Powering Past Coal Alliance, promising to stop investing in new coal plants and to phase out existing coal plants — or at least the members of this alliance will stop directly investing in “unabated” coal plants: plants that are taking no steps to limit their emissions.
Any movement away from coal is a win for the climate and for the frontline communities living near coal plants, say climate experts, but the “abatement” caveat could weaken that commitment. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act includes considerable funding for emissions abatement using carbon capture and storage technology, a solution favored by industry but that critics say is ineffective and risks prolonging the production of fossil fuels.
