Fossil fuel power plants are one of the main causes of climate change, responsible for pumping out polluting greenhouse gasses as they provide the world's electricity supply. But they could also be extremely vulnerable to the dramatic impacts of climate change, as rivers and streams used to cool power plants dwindle and waters grow warmer, according to a new study published today in Nature Climate Change. According to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), over 98 per cent of the world's electricity production comes from hydropower and thermoelectric power - nuclear, fossil-fuelled, biomass-fuelled power plants - all of which could face major disruption from increasing water scarcity. Using data from tens of thousands of power plants around the world, the study found heatwaves and droughts caused by climate change could reduce global electricity capacity by 60 per cent between 2040 and 2069. The potential shortfall in water supplies c…