UK to close its final coal plant, after 142 years of dependence on the fossil fuel

142 years

9/30/24

That’s how long the United Kingdom has been burning coal, a practice that is set to end today as the country’s final coal plant shutters for good, per the BBC.

The milestone is a significant one not just for the UK, which has been slowly reducing its reliance on coal for decades, but for the world: the very first coal-fired power station in the world was built in 1882 in London by Thomas Edison (yes, that Edison). Today, renewables generate ~50% of the UK’s electricity.

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The Red Lion historic thatched village pub, Avebury, Wiltshire, England, UK

Britain is on track to shed more than one pub a day this year

Rising costs and lower spending are hitting the UK’s drinking establishments.

Tom Jones9/4/25

China is driving renewable energy growth globally — it’s also the world’s biggest coal producer

As the US pulls back on wind and solar investments, China is going all in on both clean energy and carbon-emitting sources.

Millie Giles8/27/25

Millie Giles

DRASTIC MEASURES

8/13/25

Why were 125 million people just added to last year’s extreme poverty estimates?

The goalposts are moving. That’s a good thing — but 1 in 10 people are still living on less than $3 a day.

Millie Giles

Bottleneck

7/25/25

The fertility rate in the US has fallen to a new record low

The latest CDC figures show that births per woman in the US slumped to under 1.6 — well below replacement level.

A newborn baby dressed in the colors of the American flag of the United States, blue studio background. A child in the clothes of the red and white USA flag

Tom Jones

very british problems

7/24/25

UK house prices have dropped. They’re still not affordable.

The median cost of a London home is more than 11x the city’s median wage.

Multi-colored townhouses in Primrose Hill, London, UK

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