Coal Plant Closures Drive U.K. Air Pollution to Record Lows (1)

Britain’s transition to a low-carbon economy has driven levels of toxic air pollutants to record lows in 2016, largely because coal-fired power stations have either closed down or been converted to biomass plants.

Sulphur dioxide emissions fell by 29 percent in 2016 compared with the previous year, compounding a 97 percent drop since 1970. Concentrations of nitrogen oxides declined 10 percent over the same time period, according to the latest statistics from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Air pollution across the U.K. is linked to around 40,000 early deaths each year, and is draining 20 billion ...