UK Approves First Coal Mine In 30 Years

A year after Britain hosted a major climate summit, the British government on Wednesday approved its first new coal mine in 30 years, stoking anger among environmental campaigners. The Washington Post reports: The new mine, approved on Wednesday by Michael Gove, Britain's levelling-up secretary, will take two years to build and will produce an estimated 2.8 tonnes of coking coal a year, which is used in the production of steel. Coal is the planet's most polluting fossil fuel, and the greenlighting (PDF) of a new mine -- a decision that has been delayed for years -- is controversial in Britain and beyond, attracting unfavorable attention from people such as Greta Thunberg and U.S. climate envoy John F. Kerry. The British government has stressed that the coal taken from the mine will be used for the production of steel, rather than coal used to generate electricity, which Britain has largely weaned itself off of. [...] The new mine, which will cost an estimated 165 million pounds ($201 million), will see the majority of its coal exported to mainland Europe. The project is expected to create about 500 direct and 1,500 indirect jobs for the region of Cumbria and for Whitehaven, an ex-industrial town in the north of England that will welcome an influx of economic activity. "This coal will be used for the production of steel and would otherwise need to be imported. It will not be used for power generation," the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said in a statement. "The mine seeks to be net zero in its operations and is expected to contribute to local employment and the wider economy."

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