The United Kingdom government on Wednesday said that “the end of coal is in sight” as 190 countries and organisations committed to phase out their use of the fossil fuel from the next decade at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland.

Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel and greenhouse gas emissions from burning it is the biggest contributor to climate change.

Major coal-using countries like Canada, Poland, Ukraine and Vietnam have said that they will stop using coal for electricity generation, the United Kingdom government said in a statement.

Bigger economies have committed to quit the fuel by 2030s, while smaller countries will do so by 2040s. However, Australia, China, India and the United States – which heavily depend on coal – were missing from the deal.

“The world is moving in the right direction, standing ready to seal coal’s fate and embrace the environmental and economic benefits of building a future that is powered by clean energy,” said the United Kingdom’s Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Powering Past Coal Alliance – an international campaign urging nations to stop using coal – secured 28 new members. The British government also said that fewer coal plants have come up over the last six years.

The government also launched a new International Just Transition Declaration that discourages formation of coal-high carbon industries in developing and emerging economies. So far, 12 countries have signed the declaration.

“By continuing to drive forward clean, green innovations at home and abroad, I look forward to stepping into this new chapter, united with the rest of the world in our efforts to consign coal to the history books, as we build back greener,” said United Kingdom’s Clean Growth, Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands.

While efforts are being to wean countries off coal, it was still used to produce 37% of the world’s electricity in 2019, according to the BBC.

Juan Pablo Osornio, head of Greenpeace’s delegation at COP26, said that the commitment to phasing out coal “still falls short of the ambition needed on fossil fuels in this critical decade”.