Europe's Coal Curtain Is Complicating the Climate Fight

  • Eastern countries burn more lignite as the West cuts back
  • The industry `tends to hang on after it's time to say goodbye'

Germans and Poles Unite in Fight Against Dirtiest Fuel

Michele Tantussi/Bloomberg
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At the Bilina mine 50 miles north of Prague, excavators the size of 10-story buildings claw at the earth and scoop out 2,700 tons of brown coal a day to feed the smoke-belching power station on the horizon. After the Czech government relaxed environmental regulations this fall, they’ll be able to keep going for another 40 years.

QuickTake Confronting Coal