TOKYO -- A split over the near-term use of coal power threatens international cooperation at the United Nations climate summit later this month, pitting European proponents of an early exit with China, India and other countries opposed to quitting.
The disagreement could stymie an accord at the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP26, even after warming scenarios outlined in a recent report underscored the increasingly urgent need to cut carbon emissions.
Preparations for the meeting come as energy prices soar on a combination of slowing fossil fuel investment and fears of a spike in demand during winter. The crunch has underscored European reliance on Russian natural gas and its shortage of renewable energy output.
The Group of Seven leading economies agreed in June to end international support for coal plants without carbon abatement, and G-7 member Japan, which had been funding new coal facilities in Southeast Asia, has said it will change course. Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged at last month's U.N. General Assembly session to stop building new coal-fired power plants overseas, in line with similar moves by other major economies.
But how to handle coal power at home poses another question.
"I hope China will now go further and phase out the domestic use of coal as well," U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his speech before the General Assembly.
The 2015 Paris climate accord aims to limit global warming to less than 1.5 C above pre-Industrial Revolution levels. A recent U.N. report found that this goal would require the world's nations to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by around 2050 and a 45% reduction from 2010 levels by 2030.
The COP26 gathering, which begins Oct. 31 in the U.K., is especially crucial for the latter target, with countries set to bring medium-term action plans to the table.
Yet calls by the U.N. and COP26 chair London to abandon coal, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, have been met with less action than hoped.
When climate and energy ministers from the Group of 20 nations met in late July, chair Italy urged members to phase out coal use and fossil fuel subsidies. But others objected, including China, India and Russia, and the joint communique issued after the meeting did not go in-depth on these topics.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the predecessor to the Paris agreement, required only industrialized nations to commit to cutting emissions. The U.S. refused to ratify the agreement over this sticking point, and Canada later withdrew.
Since the Kyoto Protocol era, some emerging-market economies and developing countries have grown to rival or surpass industrialized nations both economically and in terms of emissions, making broad cooperation that much more essential.
There were fears that the Paris accord would face a similar fate when then-President Donald Trump in 2017 announced his intention to withdraw Washington from the agreement, which he blasted as unfair. President Joe Biden reversed course after taking office this year, bringing the U.S. back alongside the U.K. and European Union as a driving force for decarbonization.
China, India, Brazil and Russia agree on the importance of reducing carbon emissions, but they oppose calls to eliminate coal entirely.
India argues that per-capita emissions should be considered -- a benchmark under which New Delhi outperforms countries like the U.S., Japan and Germany. Both India and China say countries that industrialized should lead the way in cutting emissions and support less-developed countries in their efforts.
Cause for discord exists between Japan and Europe as well. With the restart of nuclear power plants moving at a glacial pace and renewable energy needing more time to enter widespread use, Tokyo has yet to commit to a time frame for eliminating coal. The fuel is set to account for 20% of the country's mix of power sources in fiscal 2030.