Welcome back to the Monday Good News Roundup, where me and my team at the GNR Newsroom (Killer300 and Bhu) bring you five stories to start the work week right. And this year we have a special theme regarding out stories: The ongoing decline of the coal industry.
Big coal is failing in a big way, and that’s a good thing, because coal is bad for the environment, and we need to stop using it, and coal industries need to get with the program. The only use for coal I approve is for the cooking of delicious meats.
So lets get on with the stories and chronicle the recent setbacks against Big Coal.
- Between 2014 and 2020, about USD160 billion of Chinese-backed coal-fired power plants were being planned or announced outside of China;
- More than USD65 billion of Chinese-backed coal-fired power plants have been either shelved, mothballed or cancelled since 2014, with more projects seeing delays in construction;
Now, I’m not one for cancel culture myself, but in this case I may be convinced to make an exception.
BRUSSELS, June 24 (Reuters) - The European Parliament on Thursday approved a landmark law to make the European Union's greenhouse gas emissions targets legally binding, paving the way for a policy overhaul to cut planet-warming pollution faster.
Negotiators from Parliament and the EU's 27 member countries reached a deal in April on the climate law, which puts tougher emissions-cutting targets at the heart of EU policymaking.
The bill sets targets to reduce net EU emissions by 55% by 2030, from 1990 levels, and eliminate net emissions by 2050.
Europe is doing their part to try and get emissions down (Granted this isn’t strictly about coal, but I’m sure coal contributes to those emissions).
Belgium’s failure to meet climate targets is a violation of human rights, a Brussels court has ruled, in the latest legal victory against public authorities that have broken promises to tackle the climate emergency.
The Brussels court of first instance declared the Belgian state had committed an offence under Belgian’s civil law and breached the European convention on human rights.
By not taking all “necessary measures” to prevent the “detrimental” effects of climate change, the court said, Belgian authorities had breached the right to life (article 2) and the right to respect for private and family life (article 8)
We also need to hold our Governments accountable when they fail to take environmental concerns seriously. Start fixing the problem you helped make.
SEOUL, June 22 (Reuters) - South Korea’s three major non-life insurers told Reuters on Tuesday they will no longer provide coverage for new coal power projects, including their construction and operation.
DB Insurance (005830.KS), Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance (001450.KS) and Hana Insurance, said they will stop underwriting coal power projects.
DB Insurance added it will gradually retract its existing insurance coverage to operating coal plants, while the other two said they will keep their existing insurance coverage.
Bangladesh announced Sunday that it has scrapped at least 10 major coal-fired power plants as it seeks to scale up its power generation from renewable energy sources.
Nasrul Hamid, the state minister for power and energy, said the decision was taken in light of technological changes and as dozens of countries halt new coal-fired power projects due to their impact on the environment.
"By 2041, there is a plan to generate 40 percent of power from renewable energy," the ministry of energy and power said.
From South Korea to Bangladesh, people are turning their back on coal, and are right to do so.
Well, that covers our coal expose on the Monday Good News Roundup. We really raked coal across the coals….COALCEPTION! BWOOOOMP!
*Ahem* Sorry about that, see you all next week. Have a great (and hopefully coal free) week.