So, if the rationale for approving the mine was clearly flawed, why did the government accept it? The key point here is that this mine serves the national interest, over global and local concerns.
supply
No evidence was cited that a majority of locals supported the proposal.
Definitions of national interest vary, such as favoring UK-produced coal over imported coal, supporting the UK steel industry, providing jobs for UK citizens, and generally supporting UK businesses to compete with foreign firms.
Even the government’s 2050 net-zero emissions target is world-leading compared to other countries.
As a result, the mine will be approved as it will achieve net-zero emissions by 2049, which it claims is better than any other coal mine in the world.
In addition, other coking coal mines are expected to reduce supply in order to keep overall global supply constant.
logic
The UK will be less dependent on imported coal as it will produce more of its own coal. All this seems to be good for the country, so it is approved by the government.
From this climate nationalist perspective, the fact that much of the coal will be exported is seen not as a problem but as an added bonus, as it is seen as enriching the UK and shifting the burden of reducing emissions to other countries. nation.
The problem with climate nationalism in this context — as in many others, including the licensing of North Sea gas and oil exploration and extraction — is that climate change is a global phenomenon.
The logic used to justify a country’s continued burning of fossil fuels is flawed because they fail to address it as a global problem.
Details of what other countries might do if and when the West Cumbrian mines start are lacking, as climate nationalists do not care about these details, content to simply assume that appropriate alternatives will emerge.
tenacious
Ironically, this failure to take global markets seriously has backfired, as the mine’s survival will depend largely on being able to export its coal abroad, and as the steel industry decarbonises and the world Stay away from fossil fuels, which will become increasingly difficult fuels.
At the same time, instead of reducing the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions as required by law, national commitments and policies, they will increase substantially, at least in the short to medium term.
This will exacerbate global climate change, the harmful effects of which will inevitably bounce back to the UK. As such, the government’s approval of the mine risks being a symptom of a wider recession across the UK.
It is arguably the same problem that plagues Brexit more broadly, namely that an overemphasis on the UK’s independence could lead to a focus on controlling its borders and, potentially, an inability to engage effectively in global issues.
the author
Peter Somerville is Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the University of Lincoln.
