GLOBAL Coal industry sees relevance in tech embraced by Paris climate agreement The coal industry is betting it can survive the decarbonization of electricity and industry and keep fossil fuels in the mix by leaning on carbon-capture technology, the head of the World Coal Association told Reuters. Such methods are a key part of the Paris Agreement on climate change, said the organisation's chief, Michelle Manook, and will help keep coal relevant as governments and companies quicken efforts to cut emissions that are warming the planet and polluting the world's densely populated cities. "Go back to Paris," Manook said in a passionate defence of coal. "Go back to the International Panel on Climate Change and they have been really clear and consistently saying that we are
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not going to get there without CCS." Policies that exclude coal are not helpful, Manook said, adding that "CCS is a proven technology. We know it can be applied." He said though CCS is expensive at present, the costs would come down with economies of scale and that governments needed to provide strong policy support to give companies the confidence to invest in such projects.
Asia snubs IEA's call to stop new fossil fuel investments Asian energy officials have disputed the International Energy Agency's (IEA) call for no new oil, natural gas and coal investments for the world to be able to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, viewing that approach as too narrow.
