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Summary
- The West Cumbria County Council said it will be reconsidering approving a new coal mine, which was set to be the first UK coal mine in 30 years.
- The local authority has taken this decision based on the government's greenhouse gas targets.
- Earlier permissions had drawn criticism from various groups as it contradicted the UK's stance on climate change.
The West Cumbria County Council announced on Tuesday, 9 February, that it would be reconsidering its approval of a new coal mine near Whitehaven after the UK government and other communities criticised it for the same. The council had granted a planning permission for the mine in October 2020.
The council said they decided to reverse their decision after they received new guidelines on greenhouse gas targets from the government. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report published by the government in December outlined the greenhouse gas volume target between 2033 and 2037.
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The report is a mandated requirement of the government's carbon budget as per the Climate Change Act. The committee reportedly wrote to Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, highlighting that the proposed coal mine could produce more carbon emissions than any other and will give a negative impression of the country’s climate priorities.
Read More: Clearance of New UK Coal Mine Leads to Controversy Within the Government
According to sources, non-profit bodies and other environmental organisations had expressed their concern over the coal mine approval in January highlighting the UK's focus on tackling climate change.
Experts have said that a new coal mine approval will generate higher carbon emissions and could hamper the UK's credibility globally ahead of the annual COP26 climate change talks.
The coal mine
In October 2020, a new underground brownfield project was granted permission, which was set to be the UK's first coal mine in the previous 30 years. The proposed project was in South West of Whitehaven in West Cumbria. It was expected to cost about £165 million and create 500 new jobs. The mine's extraction of coking coal was planned for industrial purposes such as steelmaking, with an anticipated production volume of 2.7 million tonnes a year.
Before its approval, Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had said that the usage did not fall under the government's mandate to reduce coal-based electricity generation, so the permissions should be granted. However, industry experts added that steel manufacturing sector would also have to meet the UK's carbon emissions targets.
Also Read: Investors ask HSBC (LON:HSBA) not to lend to coal firms
The debate over the coal mine has been welcomed by environmental groups and government officials. Greenpeace chief scientist Doug Parr said the local authority's decision to reverse the approvals was right given the new information regarding emissions targets.
He added even if the mine was banned by the county council, it did not make up for the government’s failure to handle an internationally important issue such as climate change and carbon emissions, especially the year UK is planning to take a lead in climate action worldwide.
