Simulating an orderly phaseout of coal power in the Asia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region could slash nearly three-quarters of its combined carbon emissions and minimize economic disruption from the transition to a clean-energy economy by phasing out coal-fired power plants sooner rather than later, an analysis by the MSCI Sustainability Institute finds. The analysis, which the Institute prepared at the request of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, shows the most orderly pathway for phasing out coal power in 15 regional markets, including mainland China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Australia. The framework could help policymakers evaluate the trade-offs of various coal phaseouts for their countries and map out suitable time scales, while helping companies and investors align their strategies with an orderly shift of the global economy to clean energy.