CNN
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More than a year after trying to convince the world to ditch coal at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Britain has given the go-ahead to a controversial plan to open its first new coal mine in 30 years. .
UK Housing and Community Officer Michael Gove on Wednesday approved plans to open the Whitehaven coal mine in Cumbria, a county in northwest England that is home to the World Heritage-listed Lake District.
The controversial mine is expected to create over 500 jobs. However, the environmental trade-off is serious. The UK Climate Change Commission (CCC), an independent group that advises governments, estimates that mines and the coal they produce emit about 9 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.
Proponents of the mine say the project will create jobs and secure fossil fuels for Britain’s steel production. However, 85% of the coal mined will be exported.
The CCC has criticized this decision. Commission Chairman Lord Deben said in a statement: We therefore condemn the Secretary of State’s decision to agree to a new deep coal mine in Cumbria, contrary to our previous advice. The decision will increase global emissions and undermine UK efforts to reach net zero. ”
The approval of the mine was also heavily criticized by scientists and environmentalists.
“A new coal mine in Cumbria makes no sense either environmentally or economically,” said Paul Ekins, professor of resource and environmental policy at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, in a statement. “The new supply will add to the world’s CO2 emissions because it diverts it elsewhere, rather than displacing it. In the 2030s, as the steel industry moves away from coal globally, , you will be stuck.”
Mr Ekins also said the approval of the mine would “damage the UK’s reputation as a global leader in combating climate change and expose it to justified hypocrisy accusations.”
The government initially approved the project, but put it on hold after a series of protests, including a 10-day hunger strike by two teenage activists.
There was strong pressure to reject the plan in 2021, when COP26 met in Glasgow.
Alok Sharma, president of COP26 and a member of the ruling Conservative Party, has campaigned against the mining.
“Opening new coal mines would not only be a setback for the UK climate action, but would also strengthen the UK’s hard-earned international reputation as a leader in the global fight against climate change through its COP26 presidency. It can also hurt you,” announced Wednesday.
The decision came just over a year after the conference and was the subject of lengthy discussions between the UK government, local authorities and the public.
The Cumbria Legislature also approved the plan three times, but reversed its decision last February, calling for an investigation into the plan, effectively transferring the decision to the central government.
The Whitehaven Mine, also known as Woodhouse Colliery, is expected to operate until 2049. This is just one year before the UK’s voluntary deadline for net zero greenhouse gas emissions (the lowest possible, inevitable emissions).
According to the International Energy Agency, investment in new fossil fuel infrastructure must stop immediately if the world wants any chance of reaching net zero by 2050. 1.5 degrees Celsius or more compared to pre-industrial times. Once that threshold is crossed, the world will face the effects of the climate crisis, which may take thousands of years to remediate or may be irreversible.
Climate activists have opposed the project, but West Cumbria Mining, which is developing the mine, said the project would bring hundreds of new jobs to difficult areas. Given the huge momentum to phase out coal, they argue that these jobs may not be safe.
“Opening a coal mine in Cumbria is an investment in 1850s technology, not a hope for a low-carbon community energy future in the 2030s,” said Stuart Hazeldin, professor of geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, in a statement. said in