What is changing, in all these countries, is the source of power. “In 1900, nearly all of the UK’s energy came from coal, and by 1950 it was still supplying over 90%,” writes Ritchie. “Now coal supplies less than 2% of our electricity, and the government has pledged to phase it out completely by 2025.”24 Indeed, the last coal-fired power station operating in the UK shuttered in September 2024.25
Coal was mlstly replaced by gas
