England just closed its last coal plant. We can quit coal power too.

On September 30, 2024, the skies cleared over the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant as its coal-fired turbines went silent for the last time.

Britain is now officially the first major economy to quit coal power, ushering in a new era of cleaner power. This change will mean cleaner air, less climate pollution, and a greener future for the country.

It’s an exciting milestone – and one we can learn from here in America. What made this transformation possible in Britain, and is quitting coal possible for us, too?

Britain was one of the first countries to adopt industrial coal power. Now they’re one of the first to abandon it.

Coal-fired power has a long legacy in England. This is the first time there’s been no coal power generation in the country in 142 years.

England was the first country to harness coal during the industrial revolution. Coal became central to its identity: Smoking steam stacks over foggy cities were once an iconic part of the landscape in the UK. 

As the inventor of the steam-powered locomotive, England changed the world forever with coal power. Now they are innovating again by quitting this dirty power source for good.

England is not the first European country to quit coal completely – several smaller nations have done so already. But Britain is first among the G7 “advanced economies” to take this important step.

Now that coal-fired power generation is at an end there, Britain will turn to cleaner energy sources.

They’re not yet completely carbon free. The country is still burning natural gas and other fossil fuels. But more and more renewables are in the mix, and quitting coal – one of the dirtiest forms of energy – is a step in the right direction.

Why is quitting coal a good idea?

Burning coal for power is dangerous and dirty for a lot of reasons – and it’s especially senseless given the fact that cleaner, renewable energy alternatives are becoming more and more readily available.

Coal is a big driver of the climate crisis. Coal is mostly carbon, so when it is burned it releases a lot of carbon dioxide. CO2 is a powerful “greenhouse gas” that traps heat in our atmosphere. Over-reliance on coal and other fossil fuels is the primary culprit behind warming global temperatures and increasing climate instability.

But climate-warming gasses aren’t the only things released into our atmosphere when coal is burned. Coal-fired power plants also release a host of pollutants that are dangerous to human health, including tiny particulate matter that can infiltrate our lungs. 

Exposure to PM2.5, a type of very fine particulate matter, is associated with increased risk of death. One team estimated that between 1999 and 2020, “460,000 deaths would not have occurred in the absence of emission from the coal power plants.”

America can quit coal, too.

We depend on a lot of fossil fuel in this country today, but the future is bright. It’s possible for the U.S. to quit coal power someday soon, if we work together to make it possible.

Renewable energy is on the rise here, and it has been for years. America produces more than three times as much power from the sun, the wind and the earth as we did in 2013, with growth in all 50 states. Renewable power sources are getting more common, and more visible. Many of us have grown used to driving past wind farms on the highway, or noticing banks of solar panels on neighbors’ roofs.

One U.S. state recently surpassed an exciting milestone in renewable energy generation. South Dakota recently became the first state to produce more power from wind and water than it consumed in a year!

Recent national legislation is helping transform America’s clean energy future. The Inflation Reduction Act is accelerating progress toward clean energy for all Americans in several ways. This law provides federal tax credits for renewables, consumer rebates, and tax incentives for electric vehicles. It’s easier than ever to take advantage of renewable energy in America today.

We still have a ways to go. Coal is currently 16.2% of all power generation in America.

But together, we can cut that to zero with growth in renewables.

Take action to support renewable energy

Clean energy is taking off across America, and federal tax credits promise to turbocharge wind and solar deployment. We need state governors to go big on clean energy across the country and invest in renewables in every state.

Tell your governor to go big on renewable energy today: