Pulling the plug on fossils in power

This briefing by the NewClimate Institute evaluates the progress of 16 countries against 1.5°C-aligned benchmarks for decarbonising the power sector. It argues that a global transition to clean power must be achieved within a generation, requiring the phase-out of coal and fossil gas by 2040, with developed nations moving faster. While some countries show progress in coal phase-outs and renewables, the briefing highlights a critical lack of explicit fossil gas phase-out plans and concerns over China's coal plant permitting.

• To limit warming to 1.5°C, the power sector must be decarbonised by 2040. Developed countries are required to phase out coal by 2030 and unabated gas by 2035, while developing countries must phase out both coal and fossil gas by 2040.
• Benchmarks for 1.5°C alignment require all countries to achieve over 80% of electricity from renewables by 2035, increasing to 90-100% by 2050. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is deemed to have no role in coal generation and only a marginal role in fossil gas power.
• An assessment of 16 countries reveals that none are fully on track for the necessary power shift. The UK is on track to phase out coal by 2024, and the US and UK have 2035 decarbonisation targets aligned with the needed unabated fossil gas phase-out, though both require further action to meet them.
• Significant gaps remain in global progress, specifically the absence of explicit fossil gas phase-out plans in any of the analysed countries. Additionally, China's continued permitting of coal plants is identified as a major concern that could lead to increased emissions unless plant utilisation is drastically reduced.
• International climate finance and Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs) are essential for the 2040 global phase-out, particularly for countries like Morocco that possess high renewable potential but currently rely heavily on coal.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2023). Pulling the plug on fossils in power. https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-briefing-pulling-the-plug-on-fossils-in-power

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. Pulling the plug on fossils in power. 2023. https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-briefing-pulling-the-plug-on-fossils-in-power.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=Pulling the plug on fossils in power |date=19 September 2023 |url=https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-briefing-pulling-the-plug-on-fossils-in-power |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2023pulling, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{Pulling the plug on fossils in power}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://newclimate.org/resources/publications/climate-action-tracker-briefing-pulling-the-plug-on-fossils-in-power}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }