Cancel all planned coal projects globally to end ‘deadly addiction’, says UN chief

Call comes at event hosted by UK government, which is under pressure over planned coalmine in Cumbria

All planned coal projects around the world must be cancelled to end the deadly addiction" to the most polluting fossil fuel, the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday.

Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to tackle the climate crisis, he said. Guterres's call came at the opening of a summit of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a group of governments and businesses committed to ending coal burning for power.