Global leaders have called for an end to the era of coal on Thursday, with 77 countries pledging to phase out the dirtiest of the fossil fuels that cause global warming, as a study showed carbon dioxide emissions had rebounded to near pre-pandemic levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the list omitted both India and China, which is home to almost half the over 2,600 coal-fired plants operating or under construction around the world, and the pledge contained no commitment to stop financing new plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many developing countries\u00a0rely on cheap, accessible coal<\/a>\u00a0and other fossil fuels to grow, despite their\u00a0costs<\/a>\u00a0to the environment and health, in the same way that developed countries did from the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century onwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The U.N. Environment Programme said poorer countries needed five to 10 times more money to adapt to the consequences of climate change than they are now receiving. read more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Poorer countries also say they need financial help to end their reliance on coal and richer countries have failed to meet a promise of $100 billion a year in\u00a0“climate finance”<\/a>\u00a0by 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indonesia, along with India and the Philippines will join South Africa as the first recipients of a multibillion dollar pilot programme to accelerate their transition from coal power to clean energy, the Climate Investment Funds, backed by major economies, said.\u00a0read more<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n