Table of Contents
Introduction
This article explains how the United Kingdom (UK) recently closed its last coal-fired power plant, which is an important step in moving away from coal and using cleaner energy sources like wind, solar, and natural gas. This change is happening in many parts of the world, but it hasn’t been easy for every country, especially for places like India that still depend heavily on coal. The article also talks about why the UK’s journey away from coal differs from what countries like India will experience.
Article Explanation
The UK’s Move Away from Coal:
The UK’s decision to stop using coal didn’t start recently—it goes back to the 1950s. In 1952, terrible smog (thick air pollution) covered London, causing many health problems and deaths. This event made the government realize how dangerous coal was to the environment and people’s health. So, the UK started passing laws to clean up the air, like the Clean Air Act in 1956.
Over the years, other things helped the UK move away from coal. For example, in 1965, the UK discovered natural gas in the North Sea, and during the Cold War, it wanted to stop depending on coal from the Soviet Union. Mining coal also became more expensive, so switching to other energy sources made sense.
In the 1980s, the UK government closed about 20 coal mines, which led to a lot of people losing their jobs. Many of these areas are still struggling with poverty today. Even though this was a difficult time for coal workers, the UK kept reducing its coal usage, and now, it relies mostly on cleaner energy sources like wind and solar power.
India’s Dependence on Coal:
India is still in a very different situation. Coal is a big part of how India produces electricity. About 70% of India’s electricity comes from coal. India’s coal consumption is expected to keep growing until around 2030-2035, which is about 80 years after the UK hit its peak coal use.
India has a lot of coal mines and coal plants that are still new, so it can’t shut them down anytime soon. Many people in India depend on coal mining for jobs—hundreds of thousands of workers are employed in the coal industry, and many of them come from poor regions where there aren’t many other job opportunities. This makes it very difficult for India to quickly stop using coal like the UK has.
Why the UK and India Are Different:
The article also explains that comparing the UK and India when it comes to phasing out coal isn’t fair. India produces much more carbon overall, but its population is more than 20 times larger than the UK’s. So, if you look at emissions per person, India’s numbers are much lower than the UK’s. India is also a developing country with growing energy needs, which means it can’t stop using coal as easily as the UK did.
What India Can Learn from the UK:
Even though India can’t follow the exact same path as the UK, there are still lessons it can learn. The UK didn’t just close down coal mines and power plants without helping the people who lost their jobs. The government created retraining programs so that coal workers could learn new skills and find jobs in other industries, like engineering or renewable energy. They also provided early retirement for some workers and started new businesses in regions that used to depend on coal.
India will need to plan carefully for its own transition away from coal, especially since so many people rely on it for work. It will need to start retraining coal workers and finding new job opportunities in cleaner energy industries. This will take a lot of planning and effort, but it’s important for the future if India wants to reduce its reliance on coal and switch to cleaner energy sources.
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