Slovenia joins the Powering Past Coal Alliance initiative
Today, COP26 was dedicated to strengthening the global energy transition, which is essential if we want to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 ° C. The event brought together governments, businesses, investors and organizations from around the world to prove that the transition to clean energy is inevitable and fast approaching, that the phasing out of coal is near and that people are at the heart of this transition.
Minister Vrtovec addressed the participants and emphasized that the vision was agreed in 2015, in 2018 science warned us that the scenario of a two-stage temperature rise could lead to extensive and potentially catastrophic changes for the planet, and in 2021 there is a high time for action. “The gradual abandonment of coal will be a great challenge for Slovenia, which we have accepted and in accordance with which we are looking for the best solutions for the economic restructuring of Slovenian coal regions, with the aim of ensuring a fair transition for all. Our task is not to look to the future, but to enable it, “the Minister of Infrastructure emphasized.
Slovenia, together with many other countries, approved the Statement of Public Support for the Transition to Clean Energy at COP26. The purpose of this statement is to commit as widely as possible at international level to the transition to clean energy and away from fossil fuels, to ensure that the world is on an ambitious, clearly defined path to climate neutrality compatible with the 1.5 ° C target. and in accordance with the long-term objectives of the Paris Agreement and on the basis of the best available scientific evidence.
Slovenia has also joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance initiative, which is the world’s leading coalition of stakeholders working to accelerate clean growth and protect the climate by rapidly abandoning coal use. The initiative emphasizes that coal use should cease by 2030 at the latest in the Member States of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the EU, and in the remaining countries by 2050 at the latest. Membership also enables those countries that (for the time being) cannot achieve this goal, but strive for the most ambitious measures. In accordance with this, Slovenia strives for an ambitious and fair gradual abandonment of coal, which takes into account national specifics and circumstances.