We join 80 organisations in saying no to a new Cumbrian coal mine

CPRE has raised its voice with tens of charities and campaign groups to tell Boris Johnson that plans for a brand new coal mine are unacceptable – and fly in the face of the government’s claims of a commitment to the climate.

In the year that the UK hosts COP26, the world’s largest climate talks since the historic 2015 Paris Agreement, the government seems set to wave through plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria – In the midst of a climate emergency, the greatest threat our countryside has ever faced.

The COP26 event, planned for November 2021 after being delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic, is being held in Glasgow, As hosts of the event, the UK government can play a crucial role in persuading other countries to cut their emissions.

And the Prime Minister and his government have spoken warmly about the need for tough action to tackle the climate emergency. Indeed, COP President and Cabinet Minister Alok Sharma has spoken of the need to accelerate the move from coal to clean power.

It’s astonishing, then, that a new coal mine has just been approved in Cumbria, with Robert Jenriuck, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government having made the decision not to intervene and instead allow the plans to be approved at a local level.

In this, he effectively indicates a view that this new coal mine is a purely local concern – when the ramifications are truly global.

Green jobs – not jobs at any cost

Jobs and growth will be a key focus as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic – something that CPRE has been calling for as the economic impact of the pandemic quickly became clear.

But it’s clear that we must prioritise clean, green industries and build back better.

We’re urging the UK government to show true leadership in the year that we host COP26 by taking responsibility for a decision on the proposed coal mine and focusing on genuinely sustainable jobs for West Cumbria.

80 voices come together to say: think again

We’ve joined a huge list of 80 charities, campaign bodies and community groups to write to the Prime Minister and challenge the decision made by Robert Jenrick.

Our partners, including major charities such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace as well as local Cumbrian voices such as Cumbria Action for Sustainability, have joined us in a passionately-worded letter which tells Boris Johnson that ‘it is mystifying’ that the government has decided to effectively permit the approval of the UK’s first deep coal mine in 30 years.

The full text of the letter, which you can read here, also comments that:

‘Robert Jenrick MP’s reasoning that it is a ‘local issue’ undermines UK leadership: it is widely understood that climate change and air pollution-related to burning coal is a global problem.’

Now add your voice to keep coal in the hole

Agree with us and our many colleagues that permitting a new coal mine in the face of a frightening climate crisis is bad news?

Join us as a member to be a part of our calls to keep coal where it belongs and plan for a cleaner future.