Emissions that cause climate change across the US economy fell an estimated 2 percent in 2019. According to a new report from Rhodium Group, the drop in emissions is entirely due to more coal-fired power plants closing.
While it’s imperative that we see emissions drop faster, the reduction in emissions does show us the direct benefit of shutting down more coal plants—despite previous White House efforts to open new ones, none are being built as the cost of renewables continue to plunge.
And the good thing is the trend of closing down coal plants is poised to continue, especially after Michael Bloomberg committed $500 million to launch Beyond Carbon, a campaign aimed at closing the remaining coal-powered plants in the U.S. by 2030 and slowing the construction of new gas plants.
