Plans to build a coal mine in Cumbria have been suspended following the controversy surrounding its environmental impact.
Initially planned for construction in Whitehaven, councillors have blocked proceedings for fear of climate change despite having agreed to its construction in October 2020.
The proposed £165 million mine was set to produce 2.7 million tonnes of coal a year for steel production.
Last Tuesday, the county council announced new information regarding Britain’s carbon budgets which forced an immediate suspension on construction.
The government’s advisory Climate Change Committee has advised all coal mining to be curbed by 2035 to pave the way for zero carbon emissions by 2050. This new construction planned for Cumbria however, was initially given planning permission until 2049, one year short of the UK’s limit.
“In light of [recent developments] the council has decided that the planning application should be reconsidered by the Development Control and Regulation Committee,” said the council in an official statement.
Whilst the environmental impact is clear, Cumbrian residents are divided on this issue. Some favour its construction in light of the new manual jobs it will bring to their region. Others, on the other hand, are all too aware of the environmental impact this will have on their county, especially in an area prone to flooding.
Despite Boris Johnson’s apparent aim to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions and work towards a greener future, many scientists, green groups, and the Climate Change Committee have been pressed by the Prime Minister to grant Cumbria permission to start construction.
Local Conservatives are in support of the mine stating they were “dismayed” by the council’s blocking of such a construction and that this area “needs” the £160million of investment and 500 jobs.
“The project fully accords with the UK’s green industrial commitments and includes legal conditions that production will not go beyond 2049 and the highest levels of greenhouse gas emission mitigation.”
Despite such a belief dominating the Conservative party, most are concerned about the repercussions this will have not only for this region but for the UK as a whole.
Former Labour leader Ed Miliband said, “The government now has a second chance to do the right thing and call it in. The UK cannot claim to be a climate leader whilst opening a new coal mine and ministers must realise that by doing so they undermine our credibility both at home and abroad.”
Climate scientist James Hansen wrote to the Prime Minister last week stating how this mine would administer “contemptuous disregard for the future of young people” and the planet.
“Even if the coal mine is canned by Cumbria, this is still a global embarrassment for the UK in a year when we were supposed to be setting an example of climate action for the world to follow.”
As the government prepares to host the UN’s climate summit this November in Glasgow, their role in the construction of this mine will prove significant to their stance on climate change.
Madeleine Raine
Featured image courtesy of Krzysztof Kowalik via Unsplash. Image license is available here. This image has in no way been altered.