A good portion of my ancestry is Scot (Scottish). I was in Scotland for a week or so when I was just 11 years old, that was quite a few years ago. 🙂 More recently, a friend of mine and I spent a full three weeks in Scotland.
I love Scotland. A recent news article gave me reason to love Scotland even more.
A bit of background is that Scotland destroyed/removed all but one of its coal-fired plants that generate electricity. Well, guess what, they recently blew up the very last one too. They just blew it up! Ok, I guess the proper terminology is that they blew it “down”, but I like the other wording better. 🙂 As they would say in Scotland … aye jimmy we blew it up!
Here’s the story … turn your sound on!
Scotland removes the last coal-fired plant in Scotland.
Use the link here in this paragraph to watch a second video that shows the column or chimney being blown apart … https://www.bbc.com/news/av-embeds/59578148/vpid/p0b8zljs. Click on the link … and then click on the white arrow in the RED square on the left to start the video.
I’m told that England, more particularly the English Parliament, did not approve the removal of this coal burning plant initially, that they fought against Scotland’s plan to remove it, but that the Scottish people voted to demolish it anyway and so the English finally agreed.
This one plant in Scotland, just this one plant, was the biggest polluting, coal-burning plant in Europe. Start the video below and then wait a bit for the sound to start, it takes a little while before the sound starts. The sound on your computer/tablet should already be on right? Ok, just wait, the sound will start in the video after a few moments. When England told Scotland to continue using this coal-fired plant, in essence to continue polluting the earth, this was Scotland’s reply.
Scotland said NO! No, we aren’t going to do that anymore; we aren’t going to pollute our own country and the whole world.
And then Scotland blew up the entire coal-fired plant. Aye jimmy we blew it up!
As one media source said, “For the first time in more than a century, no power produced in Scotland will come from burning coal.”
So where does Scotland get their electricity? Renewable sources produced 97.4% of Scotland’s electricity consumption in 2020, mostly from Scotland’s own wind power sources, but also from wave and tide sources, and various solar sources.
In 2019, there were 241 (241!) operating and polluting coal-fired plants in the USA. Might we all say NO to coal plants, to fracking for natural gas, to the continued increase in our dependency on and use of fossil fuels? Is Scotland the only country on earth willing to say no?
Aye jimmy let’s blow them up!!
We love it! Here’s to Scotland!
Aye! 🙂
I totally agree! And I recall that DJTrump sued Scotland over the building of their wind turbines, he saw them as ugly. I’d rather have ugly than nasty any ole day. I agree lets blow them away with renewable smarter energy and leaders.
Like you, I’d rather have something ugly that produces electricity than have something that horribly pollutes our environment.
Now if we could get China to destroy their 1000+ coal fired plants that generate electricity and also stop building the 240 plant they have in process now it would be a great step to reduce emissions.
It’s a big step for Scotland and they should be applauded.
Big step for Scotland and a big step for the world. One would hope other countries follow Scotland’s lead.
Let’s hear it for Scotland! Why can’t we be as smart?
Amen.
Excellent!
Thanks Melly. 🙂 Scotland is indeed excellent.
I can’t hardly believe this. The top three countries on this planet with the worst/most polluting coal fired plants are … China, India, USA. Somehow it seems that China is simply doing what it does no matter, but India should know better, and the USA! What is wrong with us?! Even Russia has only 72 compared with the USA’s 241. Ok, I’m finding a group here in the US that’s working to shut down those coal plants here. And retrain the employees so they can work on solar, wind, tide, etc. Here’s to Scotland!
After I saw these videos and read about all the issues, I looked up the statistic you mention too. I am as appalled as you are, I think. The statistics for the USA are terrible. We have the technology, we have processes in place that are working perfectly, we have the resources long since in place to change, but the USA is still mining and burning coal.
Even solar and wind and tide resources use equipment that is built using fossil fuels and oil energy, and that equipment is transported with diesel/gas burning vehicles. But, all of these resources are steps in the right direction. And Scotland’s stand and action is definitely a step in the right direction. You mentioned fracking, I can’t believe any thoughtful human being supports fracking. Natural gas can be “mined” without fracking, but the money grabbers seem not to care that fracking kills humans. I’m active in an international group trying to shut down fracking (which, I must say, Scotland has already banned — yes banned!!) Here is a website with a list of major anti-fracking groups all over the world — https://sites.psu.edu/fracking1/2015/04/22/anti-fracking-organizations/. Thanks Ann for bringing up this issue in a gentle way.
Tina, I think about the fact that the equipment needed for solar, wind, tide, etc, still depend on fossil fuel. I don’t know the answer … maybe bicycles. And I surely agree with you about fracking. Natural gas can be mined without fracking but we aren’t doing that, we’re destroying the earth instead. Let’s follow Scotland’s lead and not just talk about the issue but actually do something.
Haven’t been much involved with environmental things, but this really made me stop and think. I looked at groups online who are working to shut down coal plants and fracking. I found a local group and I joined them. I’m not Scottish (I’m mostly Bavarian) but I think the Scots and the stand they are taking is super.
I think I might have been in Bavaria when I was 11. I was in Stuttgart, just a few miles west of Bavaria, I know that for sure. What a beautiful part of the world. Thanks for being part of the solution, Ben.
Yes, the English parliament told Scotland that Scotland could not ban fracking (like they told Scotland not to blow up the last coat fired plant). But the Scottish people voted to override the English in that situation too, and fracking was banned in Scotland in 2019. All over the world, we still drive cars and trucks that use gasoline and diesel, and we still fly in airplanes, and we still buy computers (I’m sitting at one) that require fossil fuels to build and to ship to the buyer. But we have to change. Let’s find ways to do that.
Right on, Emily. I’m sitting at my computer too, built using fossil fuels and shipped with them as well. This is a complicated problem, but doing nothing won’t help. Yes, let’s find ways to change electrical consumption and production, and then let’s make those changes.
I suppose there are lots of sides to the question. It takes energy and minerals and some plastics to make solar panels and wind vanes and the like. And yes fracking is so incredibly bad for the planet and all animals, except that Russia is fracking like crazy and is supporting the anti-fracking campaigns so they, Russia, care raise their prices on the natural gas they sell to Asia and Europe! But coal is pretty much the worst polluting energy source we know of, well ok except maybe for fracking. Anybody wanta buy a horse and buggy? 🙂
I’d heard about the Russia fracking thing too, Fran. Their plan seems to be that they will be the ones with the most natural gas so they can raise prices. How short-sighted. Seems too many people and governments are interested only in making money. Ha, yes horse and buggy … not that many years ago, we humans lived perfectly well with that mode of transportation.
Here’s to Scotland. At least they aren’t mired in tedious discussions that go nowhere, or tedious media/newspaper articles that may or may not reflect the whole picture. At least they are making decisions and taking action. Aye, jimmy let’s blow them up!
Good point, Joe. I’ve seen articles in USA newspapers and in London, England, newspapers that “report” such convoluted “facts” that it appears that Scotland has done the wrong thing by banning fracking and removing all coal fired plants. But then, there is a great long history of a great number of forced changes to Scotland, by the English Parliament. It’s really good to see that Scotland is deciding their own fate. Aye, jimmy let’s blow them up!