Surprised if any significant coal industry existed after 2040, EU's Timmermans says

Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans speaks during a news conference during the pre-COP26 climate meeting in Milan, Italy October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

MILAN (Reuters) - Coal mining is on its way out and will play a minor role post 2040 as countries speed up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emission to tackle climate change, European Commissioner for Climate Action Frans Timmermans said on Saturday.

Speaking at the pre-COP26 climate talks in Milan, Timmermans said there was "no future in coal" and the fossil fuel would gradually disappear even without taking action as there was no economic logic to keep the industry alive.

"I'd be highly surprised if there is still a significant coal mining industry after 2040," he said.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes, editing by Agnieszka Flak)