Ten reasons why the Cumbrian coal mine is (unbelievably) stupid

Adding to the climate problem

The first new coal mine in over 30 years has been approved by the UK government. This proposed mine will produce ‘coking coal’ used in steel making and has been widely ridiculed.

 In my view, rightly so. With so many reasons not to do it, I thought a quick summary might be helpful. Here are my top ten reasons why it is unbelievably stupid. Climate change In case you had not heard, climate change is a big problem. This year has provided plenty more evidence of that. Coal for the steel industry contributes about 10% of global emissions according to the International Energy Agency. It is estimated that the Whitehaven mine will produce 400,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year (the equivalent of 200,000 cars on the road). Does this number inclu...