Alliance of 600,000 British Doctors Calls for 'Imperative' Coal Phase-Out

A coalition representing Britain’s 600,000 doctors and health workers on Wednesday called for a rapid phase-out of coal, saying it was an “imperative” measure and that climate change and air pollution were both “major health threats.”

“Ending the use of coal is a simple, no-regrets public health intervention. The rapid phase-out of coal fired stations is an imperative first step. Coal is the most carbon-intensive source of power generation, and is a key focus for reducing the risks of climate change,” the U.K. Health Alliance on Climate Change said in a report.

“Climate change and air pollution are both major health threats,” the report, A Breath of Fresh Air, states. “They share a common driver: the combustion of fossil fuels. Pollution from coal plants alone costs the U.K. as much as £3.1bn [roughly $3.8bn] each year in human health impacts.”

Pollution also disproportionately impacts children and can cause diseases ranging from lung cancer to stroke, killing 40,000 people a year in the country. In a press release (pdf) for the report, Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health fellow Jonathan Griggs calls it the “silent killer,” and notes that the phasing out of coal would constitute a “double win for tackling the twin health threats of air pollution and climate change.”