As the latest round of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change climate negotiations proceeds in Bonn, WCS CEO Benjamin Sporton said: “Negotiators have a significant challenge in balancing climate objectives with the very real need to improve energy access to the 1.3 billion people worldwide who live in energy poverty.

"Key to meeting both challenges will be low emission technologies, including high efficiency, low emission coal technologies and carbon capture and storage.

“All sources of energy have a role to play in meeting demand – both in developed and developing countries. While renewables have an important role to play in providing off-grid electricity to domestic users, it is impossible for an economy to develop without access to affordable, reliable, grid-based electricity.

“Coal is a key source of grid-based electricity worldwide – according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) global electricity from coal is expected to grow by around 33% to 2040.

“It is therefore essential that we promote the use of the best available technology to ensure coal is used as cleanly as possible. High efficiency low emissions (HELE) coal technologies provide significant immediate CO2 reductions and are a key step on the pathway to carbon capture and storage (CCS).

“Raising the average efficiency of the global coal fleet from the current 33% to 40% would save 2 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to India’s annual CO2 emissions or running the Kyoto Protocol three times over.”

Not only do HELE technologies significantly reduce CO2 emissions, they also all but eliminate other emissions that historically have caused concerns about air quality, Sporton said.

“CCS is essential to global efforts to reduce CO2 emissions – it can reduce emissions from coal by 90%. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that climate action would be 138% more expensive and it would be unlikely the 2°C target will be met without CCS,” he said.

“It is only by treating climate and development objectives as integrated priorities that we will successfully overcome these global challenges. It is essential that any new climate agreement is technology neutral. Reducing emissions globally, while ensuring energy security and economic development, means investing in all low emission technologies, including HELE and CCS.”