High Demand For Coal 'Unfortunate' As World Should Strive For Zero Carbon Emissions - UN

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2021) The persistent demand for coal, the price of which is rising amid a supply shortage in Europe and the Asia Pacific region, is regrettable, as the global community should focus on bringing carbon emissions to zero, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Olga Algayerova, told Sputnik.

As the world is facing a massive energy shortage, two of its major economies � India and China � are suffering widespread power outages. Both countries depend heavily on coal as their Primary source of electricity, and their stockpiles are running low at a time when demand is at an all-time high due to supply shortages and rising demand, spurred by the post-pandemic economic recovery.

"Of course it is not a fortunate solution, we are approaching COP26 and we all are speaking about zeroing emissions approach, so it is not fortunate and we don't want to see that," Algayerova told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week, held in Moscow.

Even if some countries choose to continue using coal, they need to focus on using carbon capture technology, the UN official noted.

Despite both Beijing and New Delhi pledging to work on reducing carbon dioxide emissions and building a green economy, both countries are still getting about 70% of their power from coal.