Once a French coal-mining zone, now a green tourism hub
Once upon a time, Nord-Pas-de-Calais supplied half of France’s coal. This region in the north of the country is distinguished by the giant pyramid-like black cones of slag which are a result of three centuries of environmental and economic hardship. Now, when you get close to the slag cones, Read More...
Scotland blows up its last coal plant as part of its green energy transition
In recent years, an increasing number of countries have moved away from coal in an effort to meet their climate targets. Scotland, for example, severed its ties with fossil fuel back in 2016, when it shut down its last remaining coal power plant. Last week, government officials blew up that same Read More...
Portugal becomes fourth EU country to shut down all coal power plants
Back in 2016, Belgium made history by becoming the first EU country to break ties with coal. Last year, Austria and Sweden followed suit, as the world is increasingly pushing for the wide adoption of more sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar. Now, we’re happy to announce the good Read More...
Over 40 countries pledge to shift away from coal during COP26
During the COP26 climate summit, more than 40 countries have pledged to move away from coal, one of the biggest contributors to climate change. This is a major win for the environment, even though some of the world’s biggest coal-dependent countries, such as the US, India, and China, opted out Read More...
Solar power in Australia overtakes coal for the first time
Coal plants are some of the largest contributors to the energy sector’s hefty environmental footprint. Transitioning the sector away from these dirty fossil fuels can go a long way in helping us become a carbon-neutral world. While Australia still has a considerable number of coal plants, Read More...
2020 Coal consumption was lowest in US since 1965
2020 marked an important milestone in our transition away from coal as a means of producing electricity. In the US, coal power plants experienced the country’s lowest annual coal consumption since 1965, and the fossil fuel is expected to reach levels last seen in the 19th century in coming years, Read More...
Architects in Scotland plan to transform former coal mine into eco-resort
With the green energy revolution making headway and the end of coal coming into view, it seems that we’ll soon be left with many out-of-use coal mines in need of a new purpose. Providing an idea of what we could do with these barren pits, architecture firm Scott Brownrigg has put forward its Read More...
US court strikes down coal-friendly climate rule just before inauguration
In 2019, the administration of the (now former) President of the United States attempted to relax restrictions on power plant greenhouse emissions. In a move that could only harm the environment, the administration’s EPA lawyers filed a lawsuit that argued that the federal government does not Read More...
New River Gorge, West Virginia becomes America’s newest national park
As a part of the Covid-19 relief bill that was passed on Dec. 27, lawmakers have created the first national park in the state of West Virginia. New River Gorge, which is located in Fayetteville, has officially changed from a national river to a national park, becoming the nation’s 63rd national Read More...
US green energy consumption overtakes coal for 1st time since late 1800s
In a major win for the green energy transition, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that the country consumed more energy from renewable sources last year than from coal, the first time that’s happened since the late 1800s when wood stopped powering steamships and Read More...