In order to fulfil international climate targets, across the globe coal used in the energy sector will need to be phased out until mid-century, at the latest. This is at odds with current investment patterns. Many countries, particularly developing and newly-industrializing ones, continue to invest in coal fired power plants. Based on research conducted at the Mercator Institute of Climate Change and Global Commons, this talk will give an overview of reasons for current coal investments and why a phase out of coal is often difficult and needs to be designed carefully. It will also sketch possible solutions.

Jan Steckel heads the working group “Climate and Development” at the Mercator Institute of Climate Change and Global Commons. His research focuses on climate change mitigation in developing and newly-industrializing countries. He holds a PhD in economics from the Technical University of Berlin and a Master’s degree in industrial engineering. Jan has published in the academic literature and was an author of the IPCC’s Special Report on Renewables as well as its 5th Assessment report. He led a chapter on phasing out coal for the UNEP emissions gap report 2017.

The Mercator Institute of Climate Change and Global Commons and Crawford School are partner in the Australia-Germany Energy Transition Hub.