After urging the world to ditch coal, UK approves new coal mine
A year after convincing the world to make coal history, the UK on Wednesday approved a new coal mine.
Michael Gove, UK housing and communities secretary, has approved the plan to open the Cumbria coal mine.
The proposed mine would extract cooking coal for steel production in the UK and around the world.
Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, producing almost twice as many emissions as natural gas.
To defend an outright violation of their own campaign against fossil fuels, proponents of the mine claim it would create 500 jobs and reduce coal imports.
The mine initially received approval in 2020 but was shut down in 2021 following the UK's Presidency of Cop26.
This development comes a month after the global climate change summit in Egypt and also at the same time as the United Nations biodiversity conference taking place in Canada.
The new coal mine has encountered several objections, the main one coming from Alok Sharma, president of COP26.
Mr. Sharma said in a tweet: "The opening of a new coal mine will not only be a setback for UK climate action, but will also damage the UK's hard-won international reputation. , through our presidency @COP26, as a global leader in tackling climate change.”
During the UK's presidency of the COP last year, Mr Sharma repeatedly cajoled and convinced state parties not to fund coal projects.
On September 16, 2021, during his speech on the Day of Action for Energy, he said: "Because we want to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we must abandon energy coal. There really is no doubt about it."
He also noted in that speech that the UK plans to phase out coal completely by the end of 2024.
On July 21, 2021, in an interview with Reuters, Mr. Sharma said again: "I have made it very clear that I want COP26 to be the COP where we relegate coal power to the story."
He added that the UK Committee on Climate Change said the mine would increase carbon emissions by 0.4 Mt per year.
Interestingly, 85% of the coal produced would be for export, not domestic use, as two major UK steel producers will not necessarily use much of the coal, partly in due to its composition and sulfur content.
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A year after convincing the world to make coal history, the UK on Wednesday approved a new coal mine.
Michael Gove, UK housing and communities secretary, has approved the plan to open the Cumbria coal mine.
The proposed mine would extract cooking coal for steel production in the UK and around the world.
Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, producing almost twice as many emissions as natural gas.
To defend an outright violation of their own campaign against fossil fuels, proponents of the mine claim it would create 500 jobs and reduce coal imports.
The mine initially received approval in 2020 but was shut down in 2021 following the UK's Presidency of Cop26.
This development comes a month after the global climate change summit in Egypt and also at the same time as the United Nations biodiversity conference taking place in Canada.
The new coal mine has encountered several objections, the main one coming from Alok Sharma, president of COP26.
Mr. Sharma said in a tweet: "The opening of a new coal mine will not only be a setback for UK climate action, but will also damage the UK's hard-won international reputation. , through our presidency @COP26, as a global leader in tackling climate change.”
During the UK's presidency of the COP last year, Mr Sharma repeatedly cajoled and convinced state parties not to fund coal projects.
On September 16, 2021, during his speech on the Day of Action for Energy, he said: "Because we want to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we must abandon energy coal. There really is no doubt about it."
He also noted in that speech that the UK plans to phase out coal completely by the end of 2024.
On July 21, 2021, in an interview with Reuters, Mr. Sharma said again: "I have made it very clear that I want COP26 to be the COP where we relegate coal power to the story."
He added that the UK Committee on Climate Change said the mine would increase carbon emissions by 0.4 Mt per year.
Interestingly, 85% of the coal produced would be for export, not domestic use, as two major UK steel producers will not necessarily use much of the coal, partly in due to its composition and sulfur content.
Support the integrity and credibility journalism of PREMIUM TIMES Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy and a transparent government. For free and continued access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider providing modest support to this noble endeavour. By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you help sustain relevant journalism and keep it free and accessible to everyone.Donate
[embedded content]TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT: Call Willie - +2348098788999
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