A coal-burning power plant steams behind wind generators in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, while the 23rd UN Conference of the Parties (COP) climate talks end in Bonn, Germany, Friday, Nov. 17, 2017.

(AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

At a Glance

More than a dozen countries have agreed to phase out coal use for power generation by 2030.Washington and Oregon also joined the alliance, as well as several Canadian provinces.The alliance was announced Thursday at the COP23 climate summit in Bonn, Germany.

Washington and Oregon have announced plans to join a global alliance to phase out coal use by 2030, delegates announced at the COP23 climate talks on Thursday.

Named the Powering Past Coal Alliance, the group's creation is yet another move toward ending burning coal for energy, which causes both environmental and health problems. Many of the world's biggest coal users, like the United States, China, Russia and Germany, ,Reuters reported.

As it stands, the countries , according to CBS News, are:Angola, Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Fiji, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Niue,Portugal,Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

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In addition to the two U.S. states, four Canadian provinces – Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, as well as the city of Vancouver – decided to join the alliance, CBS News also said.

"By moving away from coal, the world will be well on its way to ," the Sierra Club said in astatement. "The governments who have joined this alliance just demonstrated how countries should be taking meaningful action on climate, and we applaud them for this critical step to move the world beyond coal."

The next goal is to get 50 countries to sign the alliance by the end of next year's U.N. climate summit, which will be held in Katowice, Poland – one of the most polluted cities in Europe, Reuters also said.