Coal phase-down
Also called: Phase-down · Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Coal phase-down means cutting the use of unabated coal step by step. Unabated coal is coal burnt without capturing the CO2 it releases. Phase-down does not promise to end coal use completely. India secured this wording at COP26 in Glasgow (2021), in place of "phase-out". Its argument was that it still depends on coal for cheap, reliable power and needs room to develop.
Example
At COP26 (2021), the draft text called for a "phase-out" of unabated coal. After India objected, the final text said "phase-down". This lets India keep coal in its energy mix while it adds more renewable capacity over time.
Don't confuse with
- Coal phase-out: this means ending unabated coal use completely by a fixed date. Phase-down only means reducing it, with no end date promised.
Related concepts
- Energy transition
- Energy trilemma
- Energy intensity
- Grey hydrogen
- Blue hydrogen
- Green hydrogen
- Green ammonia
- Hydrogen economy
- Green premium
- Carbon capture, utilisation and storage