JERUSALEM, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli authorities said on Monday that the country has joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a global coalition aimed at reducing the worldwide use of coal.

The coalition, launched by the Canadian and British governments in November 2017 during the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Germany's Bonn, consists of 29 countries including Israel, 18 sub-national governments and 28 businesses.

In recent years, the Israeli Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Environmental Protection have been leading a policy of cutting the coal use to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

The most significant measures Israel has taken for its accession into the coalition are the closure of coal-fired power stations, preferring the use of natural gas over coal, and deciding to completely eliminate coal by 2030.