When I visited London the first time in 2007, they had a huge display in one of their major parks, right in the center of the park. It was a tall column showing the expected sea level rise scientists were predicting. I’m not sure how tall it was or how many feet of rise was predicted, but you couldn’t miss it.
It’s obvious the United Kingdom paid attention to science. The U.K., the home to the world’s first coal-fired power plant, which opened in 1882, just closed their last plant. With its closure, it is the first G7 country to phase out coal as a source of electricity. In 2012, nearly 40% of the country’s electricity came from coal, but, since then, coal has seen a rapid decline.
Fifteen coal power plants have shut down or switched fuels. Wind and solar power generation have soared. As a result, the air the English breathe is cleaner and healthier, and their carbon emissions from the power sector have fallen by 74%. According to the energy think tank Ember, English policies have incentivized the rapid deployment of renewable energy over the last decade, while simultaneously tightening restrictions on high polluting coal power plants.
Wind power grew by 315% from 2012 to 2023, while solar grew by 18%. It’s also very interesting to note that the move away from coal happened without a big shift to natural gas. In the U.S., we’ve shifted from coal, but, more often than not, by shifting to natural gas, which also comes with pollution. English gas reliance today is where it was 10 years ago.
If West Virginians will support real effective proven leaders, like Steve Williams and Glenn Elliott, West Virginians can be breathing healthier air, attracting many forward-looking companies who won’t presently invest in our backward-looking state, and be enjoying much lower home energy prices.
It’s their Republican opponents that have put us where we are. They’ve done all they can for coal company owners and nothing for miners, mining communities or our energy bills. They’ve actually passed regulations to force coal-fired power plants to run beyond energy demands, just the reverse of England’s direction.
Mark Tabbert, of Charleston, is state coordinator for Citizens’ Climate Lobby West Virginia.
