UN body initiative to phase out coal in several countries by 2040, including Morocco

The special envoy on climate change for the United Nations, Michael Bloomberg unveiled this Monday, a fresh international strategy to assist 25 nations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America in phasing out coal by 2040.

The program will put a strong emphasis on assisting nations in creating the business plans, national regulations, and technical resources required to generate significant financial investments in clean energy.

Under a collaboration with Sustainable Finance For All, a U.N. organization, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, in addition to the alliance of governmental bodies, the project will focus on nations where there is a high potential for renewable energy and where energy consumption is expected to rise.

Despite having already donated more than $500 million to support the end of coal use in the United States, Bloomberg did not include a new financial pledge in his announcement, reported The New York Times.

“We’ve seen that it’s possible to expand access to clean, affordable energy and cut carbon emissions at the same time,” said Bloomberg.

The single biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is coal, which is also a significant source of energy production in many countries. 

At the same time, it has been difficult to convince the private sector to invest in wind, solar, and other renewable energy, especially in developing nations, explained the same source.

According to Bloomberg, policy analysis and technical support are two aspects of energy growth for developing countries that receive less attention yet may make the difference between investing in coal and clean energy.

Besides Morocco, the coalition of governments to be included in this innovative strategy are Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, and Vietnam.

By 2040, Bloomberg hopes to see most developing nations shut down their coal-burning plants, and that by 2030, several advanced economies would have completely stopped using coal.