Date and Time: 12th November, 15:30 – 16:30 local time
Venue: UNFCCC pavilion, Blue Zone and online
COP29 marked the first anniversary of the Coal Transition Accelerator (CTA), an initiative launched by French President Emmanuel Macron at COP28 in December 2023 during a high-level meeting with leaders from a variety of countries and international organizations.
The Coal Transition Commission, co-chaired by the governments of France and Indonesia, forms one the three pillars of the CTA. It aims to develop practical policy solutions to accelerate coal transitions globally in ways that ensure a just transition and access to affordable, reliable and clean energy for all.
At COP29 in Baku, the Commission launched a landmark report laying out actionable recommendations to accelerate the coal-to-clean energy transition to keep 1.5 °C alive.
“Accelerating Coal-to-Clean Energy Transitions: First Report and Recommendations of the Coal Transition Commission” seeks to advance the collective understanding of the opportunities, challenges and potential policy solutions to hasten the transition, building on existing initiatives like the Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs).
It lays out the steps that need to be taken by governments, international organisations and standard setters, as well the potential supportive roles that public and private financial institutions could play to create an enabling policy environment, scale up finance for the coal-to-clean transition and build a pipeline of projects, highlighting that doing so is essential to keeping 1.5°C in reach.
Agenda
15:30–15:40 Welcome
- Kevin Magron, French Climate Ambassador
- Antha Williams, Head of Environment Programme, Bloomberg Philanthropies
15:40–16:00 Planning for a just transition from coal to clean
Moderator: Julia Skorupska, Head of Secretariat Powering Past Coal Alliance
Participants:
- Crispian Olver, Executive Director, Presidential Climate Commission, South Africa
- Rick Duke, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate, US
- Rémy Rioux, CEO Agence France de Dévelopment
16:00–16:20 Accelerating action through increased financial support
Moderator: Ben Weisman, Managing Director & Global Head of Capital Mobilization, GFANZ
Participants:
- Demetrios Papathanasiou, Global Director Energy and Extractives, World Bank
- Toru Kobu, Senior Director, Climate Change, Resilience, and Environment, ADB
- John Murton, Senior Sustainability Adviser, Standard Chartered
- Lee McDonough, Director General, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, UK
16:20–16:30 Closing remarks
Fatih Birol, Executive Director of IEA