First UK coal mine in decades approved despite climate concerns - BBC

Michael Gove has approved the archetypal caller UK ember excavation successful 30 years contempt interest astir its clime impacts among Conservative MPs and experts.

The projected excavation successful Cumbria would excavation up coking ember for alloy accumulation successful the UK crossed the world.

Critics accidental the excavation would undermine clime targets and request for coking ember is declining.

But supporters assertion the mine, adjacent Whitehaven, volition make jobs and trim the request to import coal.

The destiny of the West Cumbria Mining task had been hanging successful the equilibrium for 2 years aft the section region assembly initially approved the excavation successful 2020.

The government's advisory Climate Change Committee (UKCCC) pointed retired that 85% of the ember produced by the excavation would beryllium exported.

Lord Deben, president of the CCC, branded the connection "absolutely indefensible" and said its support would harm the UK's enactment connected clime change.

Planning authorities reviewed the archetypal determination and sent a study to the caput of authorities of communities to reappraisal and marque a last judgement.

A missive outlining the decision said Mr Gove - the communities and levelling-up caput - agreed with the readying inspector's proposal to o.k. the mine.

The missive says Mr Gove was "satisfied that determination is presently a UK and European marketplace for the coal".

The caput of authorities agrees with the appraisal that the effects of the improvement connected c emissions "would beryllium comparatively neutral and not significant", the missive says.

The section for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the determination was accordant with the government's policies connected curbing c emissions.

But absorption parties and biology groups condemned the determination arsenic harmful for the clime and the UK's modulation to a greener economy.

Friends of the Earth said the determination was a "misguided and profoundly damaging mistake that flies successful the look of each the evidence".

"The excavation isn't needed, volition adhd to planetary clime emissions, and won't regenerate Russian coal," said Friends of the Earth campaigner, Tony Bosworth.

Coal is the dirtiest of each fossil fuels, producing astir doubly the emissions of earthy gas.

West Cumbria Mining says the coking ember it produces volition beryllium utilized for steelmaking successful the UK and Europe.

The section assembly had granted support to excavation for coking ember until 2049, with the excavation expected to make astir 500 jobs.

But the 2 companies that inactive marque alloy utilizing ember successful the UK - British Steel and Tata - accidental they program to determination to little c accumulation methods.

Steel manufacture adept Chris McDonald estimates that, astatine best, they volition usage little than 10% of the output of the excavation and, by the mid-2030s, nary astatine all.

That means the caller excavation volition export virtually each the ember it produces.

Labour's shadiness clime caput Ed Miliband said the excavation was "no solution to the vigor crisis" and "does not connection secure, semipermanent jobs".

The Green Party suggested the determination had been "cynically delayed" until aft the UK's presidency of COP ended and had near the government's biology credentials "in tatters".

The determination could exposure divisions wrong the Conservative Party, whose greener MPs person spoken retired against the plans.

Senior Conservatives - including the erstwhile chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and COP President Alok Sharma - had argued the excavation would struggle with the UK's clime targets.

But immoderate Northern Tory MPs had campaigned for the excavation connected the ground it would supply jobs and investment.

In a tweet, erstwhile Conservative Party president Jake Berry said the determination was "good quality for the North and for communal sense".

Where does this permission Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's greenish credentials?

Only yesterday helium caved to unit from his ain Tory MPs to unbend readying rules for caller onshore upwind farms successful England, having antecedently wanted to support the de facto prohibition connected them.

Critics reason burning much ember is the antithesis of specified plans to boost greenish vigor sources.

Supporters of the excavation accidental it would enactment the government's pledge to level up and trim determination inequality.

But Labour accidental that doesn't person to struggle with nett zero commitments - arguing the authorities should put successful jobs successful renewable energy, insulation and atomic powerfulness instead.

The excavation has besides divided sentiment successful Cumbria, with immoderate successful favour of the jobs it would bring, but others informing of the risks of clime change.

Chris Whiteside, a section Conservative councillor, welcomed the decision, saying that UK coking ember was "less damaging to the satellite than importing ember from USA oregon Russia".

But up of the decision, South Lakes Action connected Climate Change - a Cumbria run radical that opposes the excavation - suggested the task epitomised the UK's "lack of meaningful enactment connected the clime and ecological emergency".