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UK to finish with coal power after 142 years

The UK's last coal power station, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, is due to end operations on Monday.

But the science around climate change was growing - it was clear that the world's greenhouse gas emissions needed to be reduced and as the dirtiest fossil fuel, coal was a major target. Dave Jones, director of global insights at Ember, an independent energy think tank, said this really helped to "set in motion" the end of coal by providing a clear direction of travel for the industry. Lord Deben served in former prime minister Margaret Thatcher's government when many of the UK's coal mines were closed and thousands of workers lost their jobs.

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