The European Union should change the way it hands out free pollution permits in the bloc's carbon market, which is failing to bring about deep cuts in emissions.
Global carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector fell by 2% last year, the biggest fall since at least 1990, owing to reduced coal usage in Europe and the United States, a study showed on Monday.
Democratic White House hopefuls Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders believe climate change is an existential threat, that the United States should immediately rejoin global climate talks, and that fossil fuel workers need help adjusting to a cleaner energy economy.
Lawmakers in at least five U.S. states have proposed bills since mid-February to prevent cities from banning natural gas as an energy source in new buildings, marking an escalation in the national battle over the fuel's role in fighting climate change.
China expanded its coal-to-gas and coal-to-electricity projects to 35 cities in 2018 from 12 cities the previous year, China's environment minister, Li Ganjie, said on Monday, as the world's second-largest economy stepped up its fight against smog.
Governments attending climate talks in Poland are working to ensure economies and jobs are preserved in the shift away from coal-fired power generation.
Carbon dioxide emissions from the world's advanced economies are set to rise slightly in 2018, breaking a five-year decline, mainly due to higher oil and natural gas use, the International Energy Agency says.
