South African health agency calls for coal-fired power station phase-out

An influential South African government agency recommended the country phase out coal-fired power stations on Thursday as it published a ten-year study which found that people living near them were 6% more likely to die than their peers elsewhere. South African officials and citizens are debating whether and how fast the country should embark on a partly donor-funded programme to switch to sun and wind energy from coal. The fossil fuel provides three quarters of national power and employs 90 000 people in jobs unions are fighting hard to protect.