The ‘current affairs’- savvy amongst those of you reading will undoubtedly have heard of last week's climate catastrophe. Only two weeks ago on the Eco forum I wrote of the Prime Minister’s promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 68% by 2030, but he has since come full circle, by approving plans for a deep coalmine in Whitehaven, Cumbria.
The mine is set to be the first new coalmine of its kind in 30 years - suffice to say that by approving this, Johnson has completely contradicted his pledge to the Paris Climate Agreement made late last year. And this plan hasn’t only made the PM look bad to us, but it’s also going to cause an incredible amount of confusion and mistrust when the UK has to host the next UN summit on climate change (aka COP26) later this year. Thus far, the only comment on the matter from No.10 was via a spokesperson, who described how the plan was not going to be reversed, and that the prime minister would continue to encourage other countries to continue with their own fight against climate change. The statement conveniently omitted, however, just how he seeks to justify this recommendation to other countries, when he is so clearly of the opinion that an extra 8.4 million tonnes of Co2 in the atmosphere annually is inconsequential.
Taking a closer look at the Prime Minister’s reasons for approving the mine, we can see that there are jobs at stake, as well as a proposition that the coal will be used to fuel the UK’s steel works, which will be struggling to import coking coal at a sustainable price after Brexit. Whitehaven is said to have been victim to great deprivation in recent years, and in this way the promise of around 500 jobs has been understandably appealing to the local community. But realistically, in the days of this pandemic, the problem of redundancy in the UK is nationwide. And it is a problem that cannot and will not be solved by reintroducing coalmines. But what remains to be seen in my opinion, is where the PM’s promise of “Green Industrial Revolution” fits. If he is so committed to following through on his proposal of promoting ‘Green Industry’, then why on earth would he agree to a scheme that will cost £165million, and only harm the environment further? As for the UK steel industry, there has yet to be a comment on whether the mine is something that is necessary or welcomed by them.
Here ends my commentary for today on this reckless decision, and I hope you will research the problem further. With enough support, we might be able to get a parliamentary debate on the matter. Please sign and share the link below to make it happen.
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Tamsin Hollyman, Year 12
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