Decision to allow the development of a coal mine in Cumbria beggars belief – Yorkshire Post Letters

The decision to allow the development of a coal mine in Cumbria beggars belief, not only because of the obvious contradiction with the Government's apparent commitment to net zero carbon, but also because of the steel industry’s stated objective of moving away from coal towards carbon neutral energy sources.

The coal produced by the mine will be for the steel industry, but the government advisory body the Climate Change Committee recommends that coking coal in the steel industry be displaced completely by 2035.

It is likely that the mine's approval is an attempt to pacify divisions within the Tory party, following the Government’s decision to revoke its ban on the development of onshore wind power.

Many Tory MPs have links to fossil fuels and others are ideologically opposed to net zero targets. Some even lobby against the development of green energy. This decision sacrifices the country’s legally binding net zero targets to alleviate Tory party divisions.