A far-reaching agreement at COP26 to end the use of coal was under the spotlight on Thursday, when the US declined to be a signatory, along with China.

While the UK as host of COP26 talked up the Glasgow summit as being the one that “consigned coal to history” more work will need to be done.

Presenting the Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement signed by 77 countries, COP26 President Alok Sharma said that every G7 nation had committed to end international coal financing this year, including 46 countries such as Poland, South Korea, Vietnam and Chile, half of which are making commitments on ending coal for the first time.

But major coal users, including the US, India and Australia did not come to the party. Neither did China, where half of the world’s coal is burned.

The sharp end of stopping coal in Wales was brought into clear focus, with the  Welsh Government minister saying that a colliery in Neath Port Talbot should lose its mining licence.

As reported by BBC Wales, Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters MS, said Aberpergwm colliery near Glynneath, should lose its licence, and that he had urged the UK Government to stop “40 million tonnes of coal” being extracted “from Welsh soil” over the next 18 years.

Waters said the Welsh Government has a ”clear policy of stopping using fossil fuels”. The mine operator says it supplies niche industries and provides 160 jobs in the Vale of Neath area.

The UK has dramatically reduced the use of coal for electricity production in recent years. Just 2% of all electricity produced in the UK last month was from coal-powered generation.

The Johnson administration has been accused of delivering mixed messages on coal, as the government is still considering whether to give the go-ahead the first new deep coal mine in the UK in more than 30 years. Cumbria County Council has approved the project and an independent planning enquiry will present its recommendations to Westminster next year.

Meanwhile back in Glasgow, banks and financial institutions made commitments to end the funding of ‘unabated’ coal, (eg coal power stations that have not been fitted with carbon capture and storage technology). This follows announcements by China, Japan and South Korea to end overseas coal financing, which means significant international public sector financing for coal power has ended.

In addition, a group of 25 countries including  Italy, Canada, the US and Denmark, together with public finance institutions signed the UK-led  International Just Transition Declaration, committing to ending international public support for the unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022 and instead prioritising support for the clean energy transition.

A busy day in Glasgow for the UK Government saw it publish a policy statement placing a major role for burning biomass to help the UK reach net zero. Biomass, the burning of organic materials, often ‘clean’ wood pellets, is seen by many as a vital transitional energy source.

Environmental organisations were quick to respond. The Wildlife Trusts organisation said: “burning biomass will never achieve negative emissions, at such large scales it relies disproportionately on imports of wood pellets that are damaging forests, wildlife, and human health.”

The complex arguments, just in the UK, around how we transition to a net-zero future, continue.