1.0 The Future of Coal, the Paris Agreement & Conflict Resolution:

Google Search Results as an Aid to Resolve the Controversy

(Posted 22 November 2019)

TAGS: Paris Agreement; coal; future; risk; best available science; sustainable development; equity; scientific round-table; conflict; positions; interests.

1.0    A Google search of the tags – ‘future of coal’ – produced over 200,000,000 results.

2.0    The Google Search results illustrate the contradictory global positions held on this issue.

3.0   While an international consensus is emerging for the position of a fast and orderly phasing out of coal mining and coal-generated energy, new coal supply and demand infrastructure continues to be developed.

4.0   Yet, the top five importers and exporters of coal in 2016, together contributed almost half of the global carbon dioxide emissions in 2017.

5.0   The challenge for COP25, now, is to promote a problem-solving pathway that counterbalances the "need" for an objective process to decide the future of coal and the "concerns" over the lack of the best available relevant and reliable science on clean coal technology.

6.0   The pathway should incorporate a definitive role for science in conflict management to resolve the controversy -  one way or the other.

READ MORE ...

2.0  Towards COP25: Resolving Conflict Over the Future of Coal

A UN Treaty risk management pathway for the international trade in coal to assess compliance with Paris Agreement goals

(Revised 14 October 2019)

TAGS: UN climate change summit; Paris Agreement; emissions; conflict; coal; equity; international trade; levy; risk management; R&D; relevant and reliable science; climate justice; CO₂ removal technologies

1.0    The UN Climate Change Summit 2019 highlighted the need for accelerated action on emission reductions; and strategic planning for future use of fossil fuels, coal-generated energy and construction of coal-fired power plants.

2.0    Implementing emission reductions in the context of the future of coal under the Paris Agreement's equity obligation will require a pathway that promotes fairness and justice.

3.0    A new UN treaty is needed to complement the current climate change treaties with commitments to ensure the international trade in coal does not pose an unacceptable risk to transition to the goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

4.0    Under such a treaty, each country would be required to pay a levy on each tonne of coal they either exported or imported to fund a “risk management approach” for decision-making on the future of coal under the Paris Agreement.

5.0    The levy would be applied to fund R&D throughout the globe for projects defined and managed by the IPCC.

READ MORE ...