Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel and putting an end now to all new coal power projects - and phasing out those already operating - would supercharge efforts to meet the world's climate protection goals, say organisers of the upcoming COP26 U.N. climate talks in Scotland.

In an effort to "consign coal power to history", they are putting pressure on the remaining few countries still churning out and funding coal plants - nearly all of them in Asia.

Six nations - China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and Bangladesh - account for more than 80% of new planned coal projects globally, and winning commitments from them to cancel those plants could remove over four-fifths of the remaining coal pipeline, writes our correspondent Beh Lih Yi.

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, New Orleans also needs more renewable power - and tougher grids - to keep the lights on after worsening storms, experts say.

"New Orleans is in the crosshairs of climate change and hurricanes - it has been and it will be," said Daniel Tait of the U.S. Energy and Policy Institute. "But more distributed infrastructure can help reduce the impact."

The Scottish city of Glasgow, the host of COP26, is looking at greener energy as well - including heat drawn from the city's River Clyde.

The city's aim is to find ways to make its often chilly historic homes climate-smart, comfortable and cheaper to heat, while ensuring those occupants least able to afford the green shift are not left out.

"If people are left behind, then it's not going to tackle emissions," said James Roberts of Living Rent, a renters' union which works with low- and middle-income residents.

What's the risk of failing to curb climate-heating emissions quickly enough? A rising epidemic of mental health damage among young people, for one.

A study of 10,000 children and youth in 10 countries, just published in The Lancet, found that four in 10 said climate threats made them hesitant to have children of their own one day, and over half admitted they believe humanity is "doomed".

Their feelings of anger, fear and powerlessness arise less from the environmental damage itself than the unwillingness of adults to stop it, the survey found.

"What does it mean for young people to see the world fall apart while we have solutions at hand, while we know how to stop it? Government is pushing us in front of a bus," said Luisa Neubauer, a young German campaigner with Fridays for Future, which has called a global climate strike for September 24.

See you next week...

Laurie

As climate talks near, pressure grows on Asia to cancel new coal projects
Action by six countries alone - China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and Bangladesh - could help end the use of coal

How climate inaction is driving a mental health crisis in children
Young people's feelings of anger, fear and powerlessness arise less from environmental damage than from the unwillingness of adults to stop it, a Lancet study finds

Green-minded Glasgow seeks to heat chilly homes from its river and air
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Hurricane Ida power failures prompt calls for more solar energy, tougher grids
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