歴史の闇に葬る

COP26議長スピーチのフルバージョンがありました。

スピーチ全文のスクリプト

そこでTo consign coal power to history.（石炭電力を過去のものとする）という表現がありました。やるべきことをto不定詞で箇条書きすると簡潔になりますね。to reduce methane emissionsとメタン削減も含まれています。

8分13秒あたりから

So I say to those G20 leaders, they simply must step-up ahead of COP26.

NDCs and net zero commitments are critical to keeping 1.5 alive.

But the targets must translate into change across our economies and our societies.

So we are also urging countries to take the action needed to move to a cleaner world.

To consign coal power to history.

To accelerate the drive to clean electric vehicles.

To end deforestation.

And to reduce methane emissions.

All of which present historic opportunities to create jobs, create growth, and move to a healthier more secure world.

To consign coal power to historyでのcoal powerの聞き取りに苦労しました。

（ジーニアス）

consign

1〈人・事〉を〔好ましくない状況に〕追いやる, 陥れる〔to〕

After a car accident, he was consigned to a wheelchair.

自動車事故に遭ってから彼は車いすでの生活を余儀なくされた

consign him to the scrapheap ［rubbish heap, dustbin］ of history

［比喩的に］ 彼を歴史の闇に葬る.

英国のジョンション首相は岸田首相との初会談で、日本国内の石炭火力発電をやめることをお願いしていたそうですね。

PM call with Prime Minister Kishida of Japan: 13 October 2021

The Prime Minister spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida this morning.

The Prime Minister welcomed Japan’s strong commitment to Net Zero and to ending international financing for coal. He hoped to see a new pledge from Japan ahead of the COP26 Summit on ending the use of domestic coal power, supporting the global transition to renewable and clean energy.

タイミングが悪いことにエネルギー価格の高騰が特にヨーロッパで起きているので、今週のEconomistのカバーストーリーになっています。石炭発電を使った照明のもとで会議を実施することになれば、エネルギー移行の具体的な進め方にも本腰を入れるだろうと嫌味を言ってこの社説を締めていました。

Getting to zero

The first big energy shock of the green era

There are grave problems with the transition to clean energy power

The message from the shock is that leaders at cop26 must move beyond pledges and tackle the fine print of how the transition will work. All the more so if they meet under light bulbs powered by coal.

この社説の冒頭にthe host of the summit, has turned its coal-fired power stations back onとあったので調べてみたら9月の時点で石炭火力発電所を再稼働させていました。

UK fires up coal power plant as gas prices soar

Published7 September

The UK fired up an old coal power plant on Monday to meet its electricity needs.

Warm, still, autumn weather has meant wind farms have not generated as much power as normal, while soaring prices have made it too costly to rely on gas.

As a result, National Grid ESO - which is responsible for balancing the UK's electricity supply - confirmed coal was providing 3% of national power.

It said it asked EDF to fire up West Burton A, which had been on standby.

On Tuesday, the use of coal returned to 2.2% of the UK's electricity generation.

記事に出ているWest Burton Aというのは今年5月に22年9月で運転停止を発表したところでした。

22 Mar 21

West Burton A and B

EDF confirms West Burton A will close in September 2022, two years ahead of Government deadline for coal-fired power

EDF has decided to end generation at West Burton A power station, its sole remaining coal-fired power station, in September 2022.

Over the next 18 months two of the four 500MW coal units will be available purely to meet capacity market commitments, in order to assist with security of supply. The station will move into decommissioning by 30 September 2022.

「脱石炭」は英国では石炭火力の割合が数パーセントだから実現できるものだと言いたくなりますが、BBCのニュースでは5年前は25%あったとあります。

Last year, coal contributed 1.6% of the country's electricity mix. That was down from 25% five years ago.

Both the government and National Grid ESO have committed to phasing out coal power completely by 2024 to cut carbon emissions. However, coal is still used when it is better value than gas.

日本でも石炭火力の割合は30%ぐらいなので、ジョンション首相が日本にも要求したのも根拠がないわけではなさそうです。ただ、英国と違って原子力発電を増やすのが日本では難しそうなので、日本で脱石炭の道のりは厳しそうです。