Coal is Coal is Coal: Governments Must Include Metallurgical Coal in Phaseout Talks

Coal is Coal is Coal
Nicole Rath, Lia Wagner

Briefing, 2026
Herausgeber: Urgewald; Beyond Fossil Fuels; Just Shift; BankTrack; Reclaim Finance; Currie Country Social Change; Coal Action Network; The Peoples Climate Assembly; Market Forces; Solutions for Our Climate

As governments meet in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels ahead of COP 31, many countries continue to overlook metallurgical coal (met coal) as a fossil fuel that needs an urgent transition and phase-out. The Santa Marta Conference allows governments to improve their transition plans by phasing out met coal.

Australia has a special responsibility at Santa Marta. It is the world’s largest exporter of met coal and also the nation with the highest planned expansion for this highly polluting and overlooked fossil fuel globally.