Panama and Colombia pledged not to develop new coal power plants, as well as gradually eliminate existing plants to keep the goal of limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees.
Both countries with this commitment join the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), which is a coalition of governments, companies and national and subnational organizations that work to promote the transition from coal-fired power generation to clean energy.
Despite the fact that Panama is already a carbon-negative country, it seeks to further accelerate its transition to clean energy by gradually eliminating coal-fired power generation by the end of this year, so through the union with the alliance, it seeks to promote a faster transition in the world, encouraging its support of not using new coal for the G20 countries.
According to the Secretary of Energy of Panama, Jorge Rivera Staff, Panama is a country vulnerable to the climate and moving away from coal is a matter of survival for everyone.
“We are making progress, but the transition to clean energy is not fast enough to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees. Today we are committed to working with others to increase the ambition of the gradual elimination of coal in the period leading up to COP28 and in the future,” Staff said.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s decision to join the CFPA represents a key moment in the global move away from coal, and will work with the CFPA to develop a plan to gradually eliminate coal-fired power generation and protect mining communities at the same time.
The Minister of Energy and Mines of Colombia, Omar Andrés Camacho, said that coal-fired energy is on the way to becoming a thing of the past, that they are working to reduce the economy’s dependence on coal.
“We are diversifying exports, expanding the production of renewable energy and planning a fair transition for the affected communities. Thanks to the technical and financial support of the members of the PPCA, we will move forward in the gradual elimination of coal in the COP,” Camacho said.