King coal is dirty, dangerous—and far from dead
Rumours of its rapid demise have been greatly exaggerated
BRITAIN WAS the first country to generate electricity from coal. On September 30th that era came to an end when it closed its last coal-fired plant, amid much self-congratulation. But look beyond England’s clean and pleasant skies—and those of the mostly rich countries in the OECD, a third of which now have coal-free electricity—and there is little to be smug about.
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This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “The king that refuses to die”
From the November 16th 2024 edition
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