The nonprofit organization Sandbag has reported the sharpest decline of coal ever recorded in Europe, with electricity generated from coal power plants dropping by around 20 percent across the continent during the first half of the year.
Renewable energy including solar and wind, lower gas prices and the increase in the use of gas-based power, as well as higher EU carbon prices all play a significant role in the acceleration of the decline.
According to the report, countries with the most wind and solar power generation experienced the steepest declines, with a 79 precent drop in coal consumption in Ireland and 44 percent in Spain. The UK has seen a 65 percent drop with the nation committed to being entirely coal-free by 2025.
Sandbag says that getting rid of coal is the “simplest and quickest way to achieve substantial reductions in CO2 emissions,” and the NGO plans to phase out coal consumption across Europe in the next decade.
