Twitter Campaign Against the Opening of a Deep Coal Mine in Cumbria

I got this email from the countryside charity CPRE urging people to tweet at the PM to stop the opening of a deep coal mine in Cumbria, which will be highly polluting and damaging to the climate. I’m not on Twitter, but if you feel strongly about this, please feel free to do so yourself.

‘Hi David,

Thanks for being part of the campaign that successfully stopped the return of fracking to the UK. Because of you, we’ve shown that when we come together, change can happen.  

But now we need to come together again. 

This year, the decision on whether to approve a deep coal mine in Cumbria has been delayed three times – the last being just a few weeks ago as world leaders headed to Egypt for COP27. 

The Cumbria coal mine would create 9 million tonnes of CO2 every year – more than all of the currently open UK coal mines combined. This is the last thing we need at a time when experts are warning we have precious time left to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown, the greatest threat facing the countryside today. 

The new deadline of 8 December could well be an intentional delay in order to push the announcement until after COP. But whether deliberate or not – we won’t let the government take decisions this big out of the international spotlight.  

We want the Prime Minister to know that we’re watching his next move very closely. And we won’t forgive him if his government approves the country’s first deep coal mine in over 30 years. 

Will you tell Rishi Sunak not to COP out on coal? 

Tweet the Prime Minister

Not on Twitter? Forward this email to a friend!

While the politicians deciding on the Cumbria coal mine have changed, the facts haven’t.  

In June, the Chair of the Climate Change Committee said the approval of a new coal mine in West Cumbria in light of the government’s net zero commitments would be ‘absolutely indefensible’. 

It would provide, at best, a small number of jobs in an industry set to be made redundant from climate change legislation in the next decade. Meanwhile, the Local Government Association has calculated there could be 6000 green jobs in Cumbria by 2030, with the right investment [1]. 

We know this mine needs to be refused, and we know that the new PM does listen to public pressure – he wouldn’t have even been at COP without it. So, it’s all still to play for.

Can you tell Sunak to show true climate leadership and stand up for the countryside by refusing the Cumbria coal mine? 

Tweet the PM

Not on Twitter? Forward this email to a friend!

We’ve not got long left to influence the decision but, together, we have the best chance to swing it in our favour. 

Thanks for all you do, 

Mark

Mark Robinson
Campaigns Officer | CPRE The countryside charity

[1]Local green jobs – accelerating a sustainable economic recovery in Cumbria – Local Government Association ‘