B.H.P. Billiton, Acknowledging Climate Change, to Quit Coal Group<br />In a statement, the World Coal Association said it was “disappointed” and added<br />that “we do not feel that the report accurately reflects the views of the WCA.” It said that it had “always supported a balanced approach that integrates climate and energy policy” and that it hoped “to be able to continue working with B. H.P.<br />Billiton, the British-Australian mining company, said in a report Tuesday<br />that it planned to withdraw from the World Coal Association, an international lobbying group, because of differences in climate and energy policies.<br />MELBOURNE, Australia — One of the world’s largest coal companies, acknowledging the growing momentum toward addressing<br />climate change, said it planned to pull out of a major industry group over its environmental stances.<br />“While we won’t always agree with our industry associations, we will continue to call out material differences where they exist<br />and we will take action where necessary, as we have done today,” Geoff Healy, the company’s chief external affairs officer, said in a statement.<br />Last week, the oil and gas giant BP said it would spend $200 million to acquire a large stake in a solar power developer, while Norway’s Statoil<br />and France’s Total have also made investments in renewables.<br />on this basis in the future.”<br />report reflected the company’s unambiguous stance on climate change, noting<br />that the company accepts “that the warming of the climate is unequivocal, the human influence is clear and physical impacts are unavoidable
