The Finnish Finland government has announced plans to stop using coal by 2030. Coal is believed to be one of the the dirtiest fuels on the planet.
“Finland is well positioned to be among the first countries in the world to enact a law to ban coal … This will be my proposal,” Minister of Economic Affairs Olli Rehn told Reuters.
This is all part of Finland’s ambitious target of cutting greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions by at least 80% by 2050.
“Giving up coal is the only way to reach international climate goals,” Rehn added.
According to The Independent, the “Energy and Climate Strategy for 2030 and Beyond” is the country’s plan to phase out coal within 14 years. Finland aims to turn its energy production carbon-neutral by 2050 with plans to switch its traditional energy sources to biofuels and renewable energy.
The strategy will be presented to the Finnish parliament for approval in March.
Currently, Finland gets 8% energy from coal, mostly imported from Russia. However, renewable sources and nuclear make up 45% and 34% respectively.
Finland is not the only country trying to stamp out coal – other European countries as well as Canada have similar plans. The state of Oregon in the U.S. also wants to phase out the carbon-polluting fuel.
By Lorraine Chow (EcoWatch)
