The boss of Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the economic boost promised by a new £160 million coal mine off the coast of Whitehaven should not be at the expense of the environment.
The organisation said it was ‘very disappointed’ that the Government decided to approve a new coal mine at Whitehaven in Cumbria.
Levelling-Up Minister Michael Gove gave it the go-ahead yesterday evening.
The trust said: “The opening of Woodhouse Colliery and the extraction of fossilised coal will seriously weaken the UK’s efforts and the international imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle the climate emergency for the sake of everyone on the planet.”
Stephen Trotter, chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “Whilst the trust recognises the vital need for new local jobs to support and develop the West Cumbrian economy, we believe this should not be at the expense of the medium- and long-term stability of our local and global environment.
“There are alternative opportunities to develop a sustainable and future-proof economy in West Cumbria. That future must be based on greener, cleaner, renewable energy, and not on the dirty old technologies of the past.
“In our view, this decision undermines the urgent need to tackle the climate emergency and put our precious natural environment into recovery. It will have significant and damaging impacts on the natural environment and wildlife, both in Cumbria and internationally.
“Everything we need for our lives depends on nature and a stable climate – so this is very bad news for people, the planet and wildlife.
“Even before this announcement, the science was telling us that we all need to make urgent and drastic changes to our lifestyles to reduce carbon emissions and clean-up the planet, so this decision makes the challenge even more difficult.
“In our view, the responsible decision would have been to leave the coal in the ground under the Irish Sea, where it’s safe and out of harm’s way. I agree with the Chair of the Government’s statutory Climate Change Committee, Lord Deben, who recently said that the Whitehaven coal mine is ‘absolutely indefensible’.”
