Coal needs to be consigned to history to limit global warming, says PM Boris Johnson, describing a UN report on climate change as “sobering”.
He said the world must shift to clean energy and provide finance to help countries at risk from changing climates.
The landmark study found it was “unequivocal” that human activity was responsible for global warming.
Green campaigners said the UK must halt planned new fossil fuel projects.
Despite the call to end the use of coal, the UK is considering plans for a new coking coal mine in Cumbria, as well as proposals to tap a new oil field near Shetland.
The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the UN group on the science of climate change – said climate change was already here and causing chaos in some places.
Its authors said some of the changes, including rising sea levels, would not be reversed for hundreds or maybe thousands of years.
The publication comes less than three months before the UK hosts a key climate summit, known as COP26, in Glasgow.
Mr Johnson said: “Today’s report makes for sobering reading, and it is clear that the next decade is going to be pivotal to securing the future of our planet.
“We know what must be done to limit global warming – consign coal to history and shift to clean energy sources, protect nature and provide climate finance for countries on the frontline.”
The UK government, which has adopted a 2035 deadline for a 78% emissions cut, is due to publish its strategy on cutting UK emissions to zero overall by 2050 this autumn.
Net zero means cutting carbon emissions as far as possible then balancing out any remaining releases, for example by tree planting.
“The UK is leading the way, decarbonising our economy faster than any country in the G20 over the last two decades,” the prime minister said.
“I hope today’s IPCC report will be a wake-up call for the world to take action now before we meet in Glasgow in November for the critical COP26 summit.”
The UK has already drastically reduced the use of coal, with consumption falling from 61 million tonnes in 2013 to eight million tonnes last year. But the country remains dependent on other fossil fuels such as natural gas, which provides most home heating and about 40% of electricity.
The Climate Change Committee, the UK’s independent adviser on tackling global warming, says the UK has adequate policies for only two of 21 key areas in eliminating carbon emissions.
