Europe's dirty thirty
Coal-fired power plants are the single biggest global source of greenhouse gas emissions. Coal is the dirtiest fuel and global coal reserves represent a greater source of potential CO2 than any other fossil fuel. Although coal-fired plants account for just 40 per cent of world energy production, they are responsible for more than 70 per cent of energy-sector emissions. Europe’s coal power plant operators regularly face the choice of shutting older plants down, or investing in costly life extensions. Such decisions have far-reaching consequences for meeting EU climate goals. This report exposes the top 30 CO2 -polluting thermal power plants in the EU - the “Dirty 30” - and sets out the policies needed to tackle the pollution they produce.