The United Nations Climate Summit COP26 in November is a critical moment on the road towards ending coal power generation. The PPCA has been playing a vital role in empowering governments and organisations to make strong coal phase-out commitments to deliver on the summit’s ambitious goal to “consign coal power to history”.
At COP26, the Alliance will host a COP Presidency mainstage event to showcase new commitments to end coal power generation by governments and businesses, as well as celebrate its remarkable progress since the inception in 2017.
Along with partners, the PPCA will also hold or support various thematic sessions both during and in the lead up to COP26, aimed at sharing experience and expertise with governments and organisations looking to accelerate their coal phase out efforts.
Our events programme is still growing and we will be adding more partner events in the coming days. The programme will also be updated when speakers are confirmed.
Powering the World Past Coal
Thursday, 4 November 2021, 11:30 – 13:00 ET, 15:30 – 17:00 GMT, 16:30 – 18:00 CET
Location: Glasgow, UK, COP26 Venue Blue Zone, Plenary Room Cairn Gorm (first come, first served basis) – and online via the UNFCCC’s website.
Organisers: UK COP Presidency, PPCA Secretariat
This COP Presidency mainstage event will bring together ministers and other prominent global figures from the private sector, cities and regions and international organizations to showcase action to accelerate the phase out of coal power globally and explore priority next steps to put us on a pathway to net zero.
The Alliance will welcome new members and partners from national and subnational governments, as well as businesses, who are joining its mission to advance coal phase-out globally. Speakers will celebrate progress achieved by the Alliance since the inception in 2017, in stopping new construction of unabated coal plants, ending public and private financing of coal power generation and delivering a coal phase out in a sustainable and inclusive way. Discussion will include the important role of non-state actors in driving the transition from coal to clean energy.
Speakers confirmed so far:
- Greg Hands, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth of the United Kingdom
- Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada
- Alok Sharma, COP26 President-Designate
- Selwin Hart, Special Adviser on Climate Action and Assistant Secretary-General for the Climate Action Team
- Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency
- Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore
- Juan Carlos Jobet Eluchans, Minister of Energy of Chile
- Jernej Vrtovec, Minister of Infrastructure of Slovenia
- Kavydass Ramano, Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management & Climate Change of Mauritius
- Azucena Arbeleche, Minister of Economy and Finance of Uruguay
- Karine Elharrar, Minister of Energy of Israel
- Naser Nuredini, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning of North Macedonia
- Jaime de Bourbon de Parma, Climate Envoy of the Netherlands
- Kädi Ristkok, Head of Climate Department, Ministry of Environment of Estonia
- Mafalda Duarte, CEO of the Climate Investment Funds
- Mairead Lavery, President and Chief Executive Officer at Export Development Canada
- Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of the state of New Mexico, the United States
- Ignacio S. Galán, Chairman and CEO of Iberdrola
- Dr Celine Herweijer, Group Chief Sustainability Officer of HSBC
- Roman Szełemej, Mayor of Walbrzych, Poland
- Samuel Gumarin, Governor of Guimaras Province, the Philippines
- Dmytro Sakharuk, Executive Director of DTEK
- James Close, Head of Climate Change, NatWest Group
- Claire O’Neill, Managing Director of Climate & Energy, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
The event will be moderated by Luisa Baldini, a former BBC correspondent.
Voices from the regions: sharing first-hand experiences on coal phase out in Europe and beyond
Friday, 5 November 2021, 11:30 – 12:30 GMT, 12:30 – 13:30 CET
Location: online, more information and registration here
Upon registration, participants will receive the connection details and they will be able to access the online platform on 1st November. The platform is hosting all the virtual side events, therefore participants will need to find the session upon entering. Please check the tab ‘Virtual sessions’ on the day and time of our event and you will find the streaming. We recommend accessing the platform at least 15 minutes before the session starts.
Organisers: Secretariat of the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition, Secretariat of the Initiative for Coal Regions in Transition for Western Balkans and Ukraine; CINTRAN H2020 project; Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) Secretariat
Faced with an accelerating energy transition, coal regions in the EU and beyond are striving to ensure their workers and local communities are not left behind. Achieving a just transition will take time and effort but coal regions in the EU have made significant progress over the past few years and can inspire coal regions globally.
This panel discussion will bring together European and international practitioners to share their insights and lessons on how to ensure a just transition away from coal.
There are tried and tested approaches that can facilitate change, agency and mobilisation, even for regions at earlier stages of the transition process. Despite its short and long-term challenges, there are ways to accelerate the transition away from coal which recognise that legitimate transition processes are dependent on the inclusion of affected communities and groups.
The discussion will focus on the following:
- Actions for achieving an effective and inclusive mobilisation and organisation of coal transition at the regional and local level
- Challenges of regional transition journeys and how they can be addressed
- Regional transition success stories
- Promoting coal transition in regions that are at an early stage of the transition process or have not yet commenced
Speakers:
- Robert Pollock, Senior Advisor, Secretariat of the EU Initiative for coal regions in transition (Moderator)
- Srestha Banerjee, Director, Just Transition International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST), India
- María Belarmina Díaz Aguado, Director General of Energy, Mining and Reactivation, Government of Asturias, Spain
- Maciej Sytek, President of the Board of ARR Konin, Eastern Wielkopolska, Poland (member of the PPCA)
- Dimitris Ziouzios, Researcher and Advisor for ICT and Environment, Regional Development Fund of Western Macedonia, Greece
- Rinora Gojani, Programmes and Operations Manager, Balkan Green Foundation
Make Coal History
Thursday, 4th November 2021, 10:00 – 10:50 GMT, 11:00 – 11:50 CET
Location: Glasgow, UK, COP26 Venue Blue Zone, Business Pavilion and online, more information and registration here
Organiser: PPCA partner World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBC SD)
The session will showcase how international collaboration and ambitious private sector action can support and accelerate the global transition from coal to clean power. It will feature several PPCA private sector members.
Consigning Coal to History: No New Coal Power Compact
Friday, 5th November 2021, 12:30 – 13:15 GMT, 13:30 – 14:15 CET
Location: Glasgow, UK, COP26 Venue Blue Zone, SDG7 Pavilion and online, registration here
Organiser: E3G Third Generation Environmentalism
The No New Coal Power Compact, launched at UNGA 2021 with seven leading countries including members of the PPCA, was a critical milestone in the decline of global new coal and this momentum will continue to grow towards COP26 and beyond.
This event will provide a platform for countries from across the world to showcase their journey to signing up to the No New Coal Power Compact and its implications for their ongoing energy transitions. It will also showcase countries that have moved towards no new coal and stand ready to sign up to the Compact, as well as sub-national actors, including cities and regions who have pledged not to build any new coal.
The Investor Agenda: Accelerating global investor actions for a net-zero emissions economy
Wednesday, 10 November 2021, 11:00 – 12:15 ET, 15:00—16:15 GMT, 16:00 – 17:15 CET
Location: COP26 Blue Zone, Multimedia Studio 2, and online, registration here (you will be sent a calendar appointment with joining instructions)
Organisers: PPCA partners Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), Ceres, PRI, as well as Asia Investor Group on Climate Change, CDP, Investor Group on Climate Change and UNEP-FI. These seven networks collaborate through a global initiative: The Investor Agenda.
A record number of investors are setting net zero goals, developing climate action plans, engaging companies on transition planning and calling on policymakers to deliver robust policies in line with 1.5°C. Many have stopped new coal-related investments, as a key step to achieving carbon neutrality of their portfolios by 2050 and are now advocating for the phase-out of any coal capacity held by existing clients.
This event will showcase signatories of the Global Investor Statement to Governments, which identifies rapid and fair coal phase-out as one of the priority actions to deliver ahead of COP. The statement has so far been signed by 587 investors representing over US$46 trillion in assets, including many members of the PPCA. Please see more detail regarding the statement here. Confirmed speakers so far include California State Controller Betty Yee, Board Member of PPCA member CalPERS.
Powering Past Coal and Just Transition – The Trade Union Perspective
Wednesday, 10 November 2021, 13:30 – 14:30 ET, 17:30 – 18:30 GMT, 18:30 – 19:30 CET
Location: COP26 Blue Zone, WWF/Panda Pavilion, and online (very limited seating in pavilion; unlimited places via Zoom; registration and joining link TBC)
Organisers: PPCA Just Transition TaskForce members: the Canadian Labour Congress and the Just Transition Centre
The purpose of this high-level event is to showcase real world examples of Just Transition, specifically in the power/coal sectors. It will share the union perspective and practical information on how government and unions are working together to get a Just Transition for workers and their communities. It will offer inspiration and useful information (‘how to’, lessons learned, etc) as well as unpacking some misconceptions about Just Transition generally and its role in coal phaseout.
The event will share real stories and union experiences of getting delivery of a Just Transition for workers in national transition processes, so that participants are armed with practical information on how to get delivery of the same in their own countries. Through examples, it will also show what is required to deliver the Paris Agreement, the SDGs, and the ILO Just Transition Guidelines on the ground.
The event will be moderated by Sharan Burrow, International Trade Union Confederation general secretary. Speakers include union leaders and government/ministerial representatives from Canada, South Africa and USA. Event in English with French and Spanish interpretation available.