Last week, on 30th March 2016, in the Langerlo power plant the last tons of coal were burned marking the end of an era for coal power in Belgium. The country is seventh in EU to go coal-free and follows other countries like Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, and Baltic countries
The member states of the 28-state EU bloc are about to go coal-free. Portugal’s government hopes to stop the use of coal by 2020, the UK and Austria by 2025, and Finland within one decade.
For several decades, Belgium’s energy sector has been in decline, even resulting in the shutdown of power plants in the 1990s. In 2009, the E.ON corporation announced plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in Antwerp, but due to public protests, the project was never permitted to proceed.
Around 2 million tons annually are saved in Belgium’s carbon dioxide emission thanks to Langerlo’s shut down. This also reduced hundreds of tons of air pollution for the citizens, including NOX, SO2, heavy metals and dust.
“..a significant step in the inevitable transition away from fossil fuels” – Joanna Flisowska, CAN Europe campaigner
– Joanna Flisowska, CAN Europe campaigner
Climate Action Network campaigner Joanna Flisowska calls the Langerlo closure “a significant step in the inevitable transition away from fossil fuels.”
Even in Germany, an active renewable energy powerhouse, coal still supports 40% of energy systems. In the United States, coal is responsible for 85% of energy production and enjoys strong support for use in the community.
According to scientists, more than 80% of coal reserves in the world should satisfy the standard to remain within 2 degrees of global warming, the internationally agreed upon limit.
“To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the EU has to ensure that carbon emissions from its coal power plants are cut down much faster,” says Flisowska.
Photo by Johannes Plenio from Pexels
Sources: www.caneurope.org
climatechangenews.com
www.tentree.com
greatnewsnetwork.org
