The money that would have funded these plants is not just going to disappear. And there is more than enough money going around to keep the poor warm and fed. People in countries like South Korea and Japan are obviously not going to starve if their central banks stop investing in coal.
I'm not worried about South Korea and Japan. If you cut off funding to every coal plant, massive regions of Africa, South America, and Central Asia will be without any source of heat and electricity (or more likely they will just burn something worse). I want to see renewable, but not at the cost of entire nations going dark and freezing in the winter months
Funding for operating existing plants comes from the clients and/or the government, or possibly from bank loans for cashflow management. Investor money is usually for funding new plants or mines.
The only reason most existing plants might close is if cheaper alternatives provide a better service.
