Fossil Fuel Phase Out Must Begin Where the Industry Has Hurt People the Most A man walks past the Scattergood Generating Station on February 12, 2019, in El Segundo, California. Mario Tama / Getty Images This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Without warning, on the most bitter winter days, or the hottest of summer, smoke stacks that sit idle much of the year switch online, spewing trails of climate-altering, coronavirus-exacerbating pollutants across the sky, like carbon dioxide (CO2) and particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), known for penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the blood system.