Coal news and updates

COP26: South Africa hails deal to end reliance on coal

South Africa is set to receive $8.5bn (£6.2bn) to help end its reliance on coal in a deal announced at the COP26 climate summit.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called it a "watershed moment".

The country is currently a major emitter of greenhouse gases as a result of its addiction to coal, which it uses to generate electricity.

This deal, funded by wealthier nations, could have both global and local implications.

The vast scale of the coal operation run by the country's state power company Eskom makes South Africa the 12th biggest carbon dioxide emitter in the world, according to the Global Carbon Atlas.

Some of those at the heart of South Africa's coal country hope that the latest deal could ease the environmental and health impacts of the power sector.