Health groups demand closure of Europe’s coal fired power stations

Coal fired power stations were responsible for over 20 000 premature deaths each year and tens of thousands of cases of ill health in Europe, according to new research by an alliance of four health and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs).1

The Health and Environment Alliance, Climate Action Network Europe, WWF European Policy Office, and Sandbag have demanded the closure of the European Union’s (EU) 280 coal fired power plants that currently produce 24% of its electricity. Such a policy decision, they said, would be in line with last year’s Paris UN climate summit goal to keep the global temperature rise to …