Why end coal

Environment

The mining and burning of coal pollutes our air and water, damages ecosystems, destroys villages and productive agricultural land, and is driving the climate crisis.

Mining coal directly destroys local lands and animal habitats. It releases methane, heavy metals, and other toxins into surrounding land and water, and spreads coal dust that harms human health. When burned, it pollutes our air and releases vast amounts of CO2. As a result: Coal’s fingerprints are all over climate change, and Europe is not immune from the extreme weather events it is indirectly making more intense and frequent.