BONN, Germany -- Environmental activists protested at a German coal-fired power plant on Friday -- the same day that Italy became the latest country to announce a deadline for ending its use of the heavily polluting fossil fuel.

Protesters projected images of Pacific islanders threatened by climate change onto the cooling tower of the lignite-fuelled power station in Neurath, in western Germany, along with the words "coal destroys our future."

The visual display, organized by representatives of Pacific island nations and the environmental group Greenpeace, took place as diplomats from around the world are meeting in nearby Bonn to discuss implementing the Paris climate accord.

The German government claims to be a leader in the fight against climate change but has refused to set a date for phasing out the use of coal, which emits large amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide when burned. Coal accounts for about 40 per cent of Germany's energy mix.

Several other countries, however, have set a cutoff date for coal, including Italy, which announced it will stop using coal for its national electricity needs by 2025.

Italy's plan calls for investments of 175 billion euros ($203.5 billion) through 2030 in infrastructure, renewable energy and energy efficiency development. According to government statistics, coal provided 16 per cent of Italy's national electricity in 2015.

Italy's new energy strategy calls for carbon emissions from energy use to decrease 39 per cent by 2030 and 63 per cent by 2050.

The environmental group WWF welcomed the announcement, saying it marked an important step but needs to be followed up by concrete action.

"Our efforts to push for implementation start as early as tomorrow," said Mariagrazia Midulla, WWF Italy's head of climate and energy.

Coal has become a key issue at the Bonn climate talks. Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore told delegates there Friday that making the switch away from fossil fuels won't be easy given the industry's political clout, but that it makes both environmental and financial sense.

"It is insane to force taxpayers to subsidize the destruction of our civilization, and of course, the coal and gas and oil lobbies have a lot of political power," Gore said. "They built it up over a hundred years, and they have the influence with politicians, not only in my country, but also in China, also in Japan."

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Jordans reported from Berlin.