Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown Project Dates: January 2021 - December 2024
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PROJECT OBJECTIVE

Led by Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the Powering Past Coal Alliance, and powered by leading data and research organizations, the Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown serves as the primary online resource for monitoring the global efforts to phase out coal. The Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown aggregates data from organizations including Global Energy Monitor, the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Ember, and E3G. Access to free and transparent data on the status of coal plants around the world is essential to accelerating and tracking the countdown to a clean energy future. The Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown provides a look into the national progress away from coal, highlighting the countries that are leading the way.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The data presented in the Bloomberg Global Coal Countdown (BGCC) website comes from the following sources: Global Energy Monitor's (GEM) Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT) and the accompanying GCPT status changes since 2015. GEM's GCPT dataset provides unit-level data and it is the basis for all calculations related to coal-plant capacity, status, technology and age. Country-level coal phaseout strategies, country-level expected retirements and global emission pathways from University of Maryland's (UMD) Center for Global Sustainability (CGS). Datasets from UMD are outputs from published research, and are therefore mostly served as is with very few modifications for aesthetic purposes such as smooth interpolation. Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2023 data. Ember's dataset provides panel data over three dimensions, namely area (such as country and regions), year and variable (such as energy sources). It is used as the basis for all calculations related to energy mixes and trends. News articles and headlines featured on the BGCC website are provided by multiple trusted sources, including the CoalWire newsletter, published by GEM. Research and analysis pieces as curated by Bloomberg Philanthropies and E3G. Gapminder data, HYDE, and UN Population Division (2023) estimates as presented by Our World in Data's (OWD) world population data since 1800. This dataset is used for per-capita calculations with simple extrapolations for 2023. Natural Earth Data’s country vectors as presented by Graydon Hoare with our own modifications for aesthetic reasons in order to make the interactive map more presentable. Country commitments to phasing out coal as well as no new coal are based on research from UMD CGS and the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA). Expected retirements by 2030 of each country are collected and maintained by PPCA.


SECTORS OR AREAS OF WORK
  1. Coal


BUDGET

USD 1,000,000

DONORS (OR FUNDING /CONTRIBUTING ORGANIZATIONS)
  1. Bloomberg Philanthropies
  2. Powering Past Coal Alliance
IMPLEMENTING AGENCY OR AGENCIES

SUPPORT TYPE
GOVERNMENT PARTNER
  1. None
BUDGET

USD 1,000,000

DONORS (OR FUNDING /CONTRIBUTING ORGANIZATIONS)
  1. Bloomberg Philanthropies
  2. Powering Past Coal Alliance
IMPLEMENTING AGENCY OR AGENCIES

SUPPORT TYPE
GOVERNMENT PARTNER
  1. None