Rich nations target US$20bil to wean Indonesia off coal

A fisherman cooking a rice on his boat as a power plant emits smoke in the background in Jakarta in this file photo from March 2008, - AP

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP): Rich nations pledged Tuesday (Nov 15) to raise at least US$20 billion to help wean Indonesia off coal and reach carbon neutrality by 2050, a decade earlier than planned, the White House said.

The United States, Japan, Canada and six European countries signed the accord with Jakarta on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali to ensure a "just power sector transition" away from Indonesia's coal-dependent economy, they said in a statement released by the White House.