Fossil Fuels Will Be History By 2050

     

     Spain has just announced the closure of 11 of its 15 remaining coal plants, or 73%. The country currently has no mandate to close its coal plants, a testament to the dirty industry's impending death.

     There, is, however, no lack of a mandate in other European countries. Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and Switzerland have no coal plants. The United Kingdom, Slovakia, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Greece, Germany, France, Finland, and Denmark have all announced phaseouts in the coming years, and such moves are being discussed in Czechia, North Macedonia, and Spain. Therefore coal is in its death throes in 27 European nations.

     Even in the US, coal is dying. More than a dozen coal plants have already been slated for retirement this year, bringing the total to nearly 300 closures in just ten years. Despite Trump "digging coal" and working to lift environmental restrictions and subsidize the industry, renewable energy is beginning to surpass the practicality of fossil fuels.

     Nor is it limited to coal. Just this year, the Atlantic Coast pipeline has been cancelled and the Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipeline lost key battles in terms of permits and environmental review. In terms of offshore drilling, proposed oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight has been cancelled, and Joe Biden has pledged to phase it out in the U.S. if elected.

     If we are to have a livable climate in the future, we must phase out fossil fuels by 2050.