Dear MEL Topic Readers,
COP26: 190 nations and organisations pledge to quit coal
A coal power plant burns coal to generate electricity. There are around 8,500 such power plants in the world and generate approximately 37% of the world’s electricity in total. It is an economical way to generate electricity because coal is easily available in many parts of the world. However, coal-fired power stations emit about one-fifth of world greenhouse gas emissions and are the largest cause of climate change. Although the number of such power plants is decreasing in Europe and the US because of the environmental concerns and pressures, more are still being built in Asia, especially in China to meet the increasing demand for electricity and run environmentally-friendly electric vehicles. At the COP 26 climate summit in Glasgow, UK, as many as 190 countries and organizations agreed to shift away from coal powerplants. However, heavily coal-dependent countries like Australia, India, China, and the US did not commit themselves to the agreement probably because the economy in the next few years is more important than the environment in the future. Sustainable Development Goals seem still far high to reach even after the gathering of the global leaders. Though they seem to have made small steps, they don’t seem to be enough to stop global warming.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about COP26 and coal power plants.
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