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Environment & Climate vocabulary · Environmental Policy and Law

Phase out

Meaning in environment & climate, with examples

/ˌfeɪz ˈaʊt/phrasal verbCommon term

In environment & climate, phase out means: To stop using, producing or allowing something gradually, step by step over a planned period, for example coal power or harmful chemicals.

In Turkish: aşamalı olarak kaldırmak, kademeli olarak çıkmak

How it is used

Common in policy texts and negotiations: phase out coal, phase out HFCs, phase out petrol and diesel cars. The noun is written with a hyphen: a coal phase-out, a phase-out date. Negotiators distinguish phase out (end completely) from phase down (reduce).

Example sentences

  1. The country plans to phase out coal power by 2035.

  2. Single-use plastic cutlery was phased out across our cafeterias last year.

Common collocations

  • phase out coal
  • phase-out date
  • gradually phase out
  • phase down
  • fossil fuelA fuel such as coal, oil or natural gas, formed underground over millions of years from the remains of plants and animals. Burning it releases carbon dioxide.
  • decarbonizationThe process of reducing the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions of an economy, sector or company, for example by switching to clean energy and electrifying processes.
  • just transitionThe idea that the shift to a low-carbon economy should be fair, protecting workers, communities and regions that depend on fossil fuel industries and sharing the benefits widely.
  • single-use plasticPlastic items designed to be used once and then thrown away, such as bags, straws, cups, cutlery and much of today's packaging.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Environmental Policy and Law

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