Power plants in the United Kingdom went 55 hours without burning coal this week, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, signaling a new milestone in the march toward ending reliance on fossil fuels.
The UK’s power grid went coal-free from 10:25 p.m. on Monday to 5:10 a.m. on Thursday, beating out the previous record of 40 hours set in October. Wind turbines produced more power during the zero-coal span, Bloomberg reported.
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The UK has made large strides in promoting the use of renewable energy. In an effort to end the use of coal by 2025, the country has given renewable energy sources priority access to its power grid, according to The Hill. And according to an analysis by Carbon Brief, a UK-based climate and energy news website, low-carbon sources produced more UK energy than fossil fuels in 2017.
Still, the UK’s climate progress might soon stagnate.
According to analysis from the Committee on Climate Change, an independent UK-based think tank, weaning off of coal has helped the UK outperform its recent emissions goals, but British energy and environmental policies as they stand won’t reduce emissions enough to hit future targets.
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Despite US President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost the coal industry, and despite reliance on coal power in much of the developing world, a March report from three prominent environmental groups indicated that worldwide coal use is on a steep decline.
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