Dirty power plants represent one of the largest single sources of global greenhouse gas emissions. Nations around the world rely on coal and natural gas power plants, as well as oil powered generators that can be called on when electricity demand peaks. Shutting down these dirty power plants is one of the biggest steps we can take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Phasing out dirty electricity will mean nations legislating to suppress new fossil-energy infrastructure, shutting down existing plants before their scheduled closure, wiping out fossil investments. This move will certainly be resisted by fossil-fuel interests. What’s more, If dirty electricity is going to be phased out, then it must be replaced by a cleaner electrical system. While such a system is expected to be much cheaper overall, it will require a relatively large amount of up-front investment. Clean generators cost money, as do batteries and other flexible technologies to ensure that the availability of ‘intermittent’ solar and wind energy, for example, lines up with energy demand. Upgrading the electrical grid to support such a system also poses an economic and infrastructural challenge. Yet phasing out and replacing dirty electricity ultimately opens the door for electrification to bring the benefits of cheap, clean energy to whole new sectors, eliminating the majority of the world’s carbon emissions in the process.

Wealthier nations already face a challenge phasing out their dirty electricity, yet less well-off countries will also require financial support. Without assistance, they may be unwilling to sacrifice or interrupt their growth by getting rid of their dirty electricity, especially when richer countries have prospered using dirty electricity for decades, at their expense.

Discard 1 card from your hand, then remove 1 Dirty Energy token from your player board for each Regulation tag in this card's stack.

• Phase out unabated coal and fossil gas electricity generation (Systems Change Lab) 

• How to phase out fossil fuels without leaving people behind (World Resources Institute, WRI) 

• Who gets to keep burning fossil fuels as the planet heats up? (Vox)

• Join, or spend some time with, or support an organization or local group that is pushing for the phaseout of dirty electricity and fossil fuel energy more widely. 

• Ask your political representatives to work harder to phase out fossil fuels, to say no to new coal and fossil fuel plants, and if you live in a wealthier nation – to support Majority World nations in phasing out fossil power. You might also ask them to invest in and streamline the buildout of clean energy generators and crucially, the infrastructure to support them, including batteries and other flexible tech.