Powering Past Coal Alliance

The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn in November 2017, co-founded by Canada and the United Kingdom. Its core purpose is to accelerate the global transition from unabated coal power generation to clean energy, framing coal phase-out as essential to meeting the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement.

Members sign on to a Declaration that commits governments to phasing out existing traditional coal power and placing a moratorium on new coal plants without operational carbon capture and storage (CCS). Businesses commit to powering operations without coal, and other organizations pledge to support the transition through advocacy, finance, or research. For OECD and EU28 members, the implied phase-out date has typically been referenced as 2030, with 2040 as a broader global target.

Membership has grown to include national governments (such as the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Chile), numerous subnational governments (including U.S. states like California, Oregon, and Washington), and dozens of businesses and civil society organizations. Notably, the world's largest coal consumers — China, India, and the United States at the federal level — are not members, which significantly limits the alliance's direct emissions impact.

The PPCA functions primarily as a norm-setting and diplomatic instrument rather than a binding treaty. It produces guidance, convenes summits, and amplifies political pressure ahead of UNFCCC negotiations. At COP26 in Glasgow (2021), the alliance gained new members and aligned with the broader "Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement," though the final Glasgow Climate Pact's language was famously softened from "phase out" to "phase down" of unabated coal at India's insistence.

Critics argue PPCA membership is easiest for countries with already-declining coal sectors, while supporters view it as a useful coalition of the willing that builds momentum for stricter international standards.