End coal subsidies, UN Secretary-General tells Indian government

BANGALORE - The United Nations' Secretary-General called the Indian government's growing investment in coal"deeply troubling" on Friday and warned that expanding fossil fuel subsidies is"a human disaster and bad economics" that only means"more deaths and rising healthcare costs".

Mr Guterres said it makes"no commercial sense" to double down on domestic coal and open up coal auctions. As the cost of renewables falls, and 39 per cent of coal plants become uncompetitive - some 60 per cent could become so in 2022 - the world's largest investors are increasingly abandoning coal, he added.Coal provides about half of India's commercial primary energy supply today and is the dominant fuel for power production.

He spoke of India's role in building stable, inclusive economies and staving off the threat of climate change. This meant"ending fossil fuel subsidies, placing a price on carbon pollution and committing to no new coal after 2020", he added. At the same conference where Mr Guterres spoke, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's lead in creating the International Solar Alliance and getting 67 countries to sign a framework agreement.

New regulations allow power plants to now use low-grade Indian coal that produces more fly ash, as long as they meet emissions norms and control pollution.

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