Great Britain burns as little coal as it did in Shakespeare's time
After the closure of the last British coal-fired power plant, coal consumption there has fallen significantly again – to a truly historic low.
(Image: kamilpetran/Shutterstock.com)
In Great Britain, less coal was burned last year than in the time of William Shakespeare. This is the result of a study by the climate portal Carbon Brief, according to which less than one million tons of coal were burned in the United Kingdom last year. This value was reportedly first reached under Queen Elizabeth I, when a wood shortage led to an “energy crisis.” Last year's coal consumption was reportedly 56 percent lower than in 2024, 97 percent lower than in 2015, and 99.6 percent lower than the absolute peak in 1956. The shutdown of the last British coal-fired power plant in autumn 2024 played a major role.
(Image:Â Carbon Brief)
Because natural gas consumption also fell slightly by 1.5 percent, British greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by a total of 2.4 percent and have thus reached a level not seen for 150 years, writes Carbon Brief. For the first time, the emission low from 1926 was even undercut again. At that time, a days-long general strike paralyzed public life. Overall, the United Kingdom is now emitting as many emissions as it did under Queen Victoria in the 19th century. British emissions are thus 54 percent below the 1990 level – even though economic output has almost doubled since then. The slightly reduced consumption of natural gas accounted for the largest share of the recent decline in emissions, with the rest being mainly due to reduced coal burning and declines in the steel industry.
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The development in Great Britain is particularly interesting because the country, as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, has been heavily dependent on coal energy for centuries and was a pioneer in its use. The first steam engines, used from the early 18th century onwards to pump water out of mines, were coal-powered. Improvements in technology increased demand for the machines, which in turn increased coal consumption and CO2 emissions. The closure of the last British coal-fired power plant in Ratcliffe-on-Soar near Nottingham was therefore of particular importance. Germany, on the other hand, is nowhere near as far along, with several power plants here still scheduled to run for over ten years. In 2024, over 90 million tons of coal were mined here.
(mho)
