Leading climate scientist James Hansen has warned Boris Johnson that he risks "humiliation" over his decision to press ahead with plans for the new coal mine agreed by Cumbria County Council.
Climate change: Boris Johnson 'risks humiliation' over coal mine https://t.co/I7WwPNfyEf
— roger harrabin (@RHarrabin) February 4, 2021
Dr Hansen – the "godfather of climate change" who warned US Congress and the world of the dangers of global warming back in 1988 – copied his letter to John Kerry, special climate envoy to US President Joe Biden. Biden has made climate action a top priority, and will hold a global climate summit in April as a precursor to November's COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Dr Hansen warns Johnson:
In leading the UK, as host to the COP, you have a chance to change the course of our climate trajectory, earning the UK and yourself historic accolades.
Or you can stick with business-almost-as-usual and be vilified around the world.
It would be easy to achieve this latter ignominy and humiliation - just continue with the plan to open a new coal mine in Cumbria in contemptuous disregard of the future of young people and nature.EDIT 10.2.21
Cumbria County Council has announced it will reconsider this application in light of "new information":
This decision has been taken because in December 2020, the Government’s Climate Change Committee released its report on its recommendations for the Sixth Carbon Budget, a requirement under the Climate Change Act.The report, among other things, sets out the volume of greenhouse gases the UK aims to emit during 2033-2037.This new information has been received prior to the issue of the formal decision notice on the application.
In light of this the Council has decided that the planning application should be reconsidered by DC&R.
Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace UK, said:
Any shift [by Cumbria county council] does not let the government off the hook. Ministers should be ashamed of their failure to step in on an issue of obvious international significance. Even if the coal mine is canned by Cumbria, this is still a global embarrassment for the UK in a year when we were supposed to be setting an example on climate action for the world to follow.
However, the group South Lakes Action on Climate Change was sceptical planning officers would change their minds and advise councillors to refuse the application:
Cumbria County Council will almost certainly be seeking to justify a further decision to approve, as a way of defending themselves from a judicial review.
