Health groups call for phase out of coal power stations

Emissions from coal power plants in Europe are a major contributor to disease from environmental pollution. New figures from a report by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) indicate that the health costs within the European Union from coal pollution are running at €42.8bn (£32.9bn; $55.6bn) a year.

This is the financial burden from over 18 200 premature deaths, 8500 new cases of chronic bronchitis, and the loss of over four million working days each year, according to the HEAL report.1 If emissions from similar plants in …