Aboño Power Plant, Gijón, Spain

The soil of the land around the Aboño power plant contains levels of mercury 7 to 10 times over the WHO legal limit. Water from the natural springs in the area is undrinkable due to contamination with mercury and other heavy metals. However, people still grow vegetables and crops.

Formerly a coal-intensive nation, Spain saw an about turn under the supervision of a vigorously green new government. Whereas 2012 saw miners march hundreds of kilometres in protest against the cutting of coal subsidies, the country now has one of the most progressive policies across the bloc to move beyond coal - including pension plans for miners and a plan for swift shutdown of plants and mines, to conclude by 2025.