Slow Burn: Why We Can't Quit Coal

An exploration of the political, economic and social forces keeping coal alive, and the pathways to a just transition.

Coal was supposed to be the past. Yet global coal emissions hit new highs last year, new plants are still coming online, and the politics around coal remain some of the most charged in the energy transition. Why does this fuel - polluting, expensive, and technologically outclassed -continue to dominate in so many places?

This session digs into the forces that keep coal alive: the coal-dependent communities that rely on it for jobs and local tax revenues; the governments that view it as a strategic asset; the voters who see transition as threat rather than opportunity; and the geopolitics that complicate any simple phase-out story. We’ll also look at where progress is real, where it is stalling, and which innovations and policy frameworks could finally deliver a just and durable coal transition.

Speakers:
Lucy Shaw — writer, and advisor on energy and infrastructure investments at Gordon Mgmt.
Sam Geall — China and climate policy expert; Associate Fellow, Chatham House and scholar of energy, governance and transition politics

Join us for an evening of honest conversation about one of the hardest truths in climate: we cannot reach net zero without confronting coal’s deep political, economic and emotional roots.