Goodbye Coal!

We've got some exciting news! The UK has become the first major economy in the world to set a clear date on the phasing out of polluting coal as a source of energy!

And that date is... drum roll please... 2025! The 133-year journey of coal-energy production in the UK will soon come to an end, with the government announcing that, within the next decade, it will phase out the use of all coal power stations. Since coal is the dirtiest and most polluting way to create energy in the UK, today's announcement is a real step forward in tackling climate change!
 

How Did This All Come About?

David Cameron, along with the other Prime Minister hopefuls, signed a pledge to fight climate change back in February, organised by our friends at The Climate Coalition. This pledge promised not only to end the use of coal production, but also to both seek a fair, legally binding climate change deal at the COP21 and to agree on a next round of Carbon Budgets.
 

What Next?

In the first half of this year, one fifth of UK energy came from coal, so question marks remain about what energy source will fill the void left by coal. And whilst our government has been promoting gas as a long-term alternative, leading environmental campaigners have been calling for a greater push towards cleaner and renewable sources. 

At Ben & Jerry's we believe our long-term climate change targets in the UK can only be met through clean energy sources, so we have been campaigning with our friends at Avaaz to call for a shift to 100% renewable energy by 2050! And, whilst today's announcement is welcomed, our eyes remain on our government at the Paris climate talks, in the hope that they can show further leadership in terms of climate change.
 

What Can I Do To Help?

Sign Our Petition to pressure the UK and other global leaders to look to clean energy sources — if we begin to move away from polluting fossil fuels, we can start to build a greener future for everyone on our planet!

We believe this issue is super important... and so we are taking to the streets! If you want to have your voice heard too, come and join Ben & Jerry's and thousands of other environmental campaigners for The People's Climate March, taking place in central London next Sunday 29th November (the eve of the COP21)!