TheCable

The United Kingdom has approved its first deep coal mine in 30 years.

According to Reuters, the approval came on Wednesday after years of pushback against the decision.

The Woodhouse Colliery, to be developed by West Cumbria Mining in northwest England, intends to extract coking coal to be used in the steel industry rather than for electricity generation. 

This decision has come under criticism by climate experts and activists, who say the move is hypocritic and undermines the country’s reputation as a global leader on climate action. 

However, the government argues that the coal mine will be net zero in its operations and is expected to contribute to local employment and the wider economy, by creating around 500 jobs.

Also, much of the coal produced is expected to be exported to Europe as planning documents show that more than 80 percent of the coal to be produced annually will, after five years, be sent to an export terminal on England’s east coast.

The coal mine, proposed to operate for 50 years, will be the size of about 60 soccer fields or 23 hectares and is expected to take two years to complete at a 2019 cost estimate of 165 million pounds. 

Coal is considered the dirtiest fossil fuel because the greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal contributes significantly to climate change, and stopping its use is critical to achieving global climate goals.

The UK, which held the COP26 presidency, had pushed for the phase-out of coal during the conference in Glasgow and has a climate target to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Alok Sharma, COP26 president, who had made a strong statement in Glasgow on how the UK will ensure that countries keep up their commitments, said this new development is a “backward step”.   

“Opening a new coal mine will not only be a backward step for UK climate action but also damage the UK’s hard-won international reputation, through our COP26 Presidency, as a leader in the global fight against climate change,” he said in a tweet.

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Opening a new coal mine will not only be a backward step for UK climate action but also damage the UK’s hard-won international reputation, through our @COP26 Presidency, as a leader in the global fight against climate change

— Alok Sharma (@AlokSharma_RDG) December 3, 2022

Meanwhile, the UK is not the only country from the global north which has stepped back on its climate commitments this year.

Countries like Germany, France, Netherlands, and Austria reverted to coal power following the energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.