UK Says Cheerio to Coal Power |
Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=55382"><span class="small">Alexandria Herr, Grist</span></a> |
Sunday, 04 July 2021 12:47 |
Herr writes: "The United Kingdom is planning to end all coal-fired electricity generation by October 2024, moving up the country's previous target by a full year."
UK Says Cheerio to Coal Power04 July 21
Ending coal-fired electricity does not mean ending coal extraction. The U.K. will still be mining coal for export and using it in industrial processes like steel production, and a heavily protested brand-new coal mine is still under consideration in Northern England. Despite these caveats, any move to reduce coal consumption is good for the climate. Coal-fired electricity is extremely carbon-intensive, accounting for 30 percent of energy-related CO2 emissions globally. It’s also a major source of fine particulate matter, a deadly air pollutant; fine particulate pollution from fossil fuels killed 8.7 million people globally in 2018. Sam Fankhauser, a professor of climate change economics and policy at the University of Oxford, told Forbes that the target “merely formalizes a development that has all but been secured already through a combination of market forces, renewable subsidies, and climate and environmental policies.” Nonetheless, Fankhauser called the accelerated timeline “a welcome milestone of big symbolic value.” |
Last Updated on Sunday, 04 July 2021 13:46 |