ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 13, 2021
Government negotiators at the U.N. climate talks in Glasgow wrote and rewrote a paragraph that spells out that fighting climate change requires the world to end coal power, along with fossil fuel subsidies. The wording on coal was weakened one last time just before the gavel came down after coal-dependent India insisted on replacing the words “phase out” with “phase down.” Here’s a look at the role coal plays in climate change and the energy system, and why it’s been so hard to move away from. The short answer is coal is cheap and plentiful.