West Cumbria Mining and Banks Group are two companies currently exploring further large scale coal mining projects in the UK.
Both have used flawed economic logic to claim that their coal extraction is either ‘carbon neutral’ or that they are actually saving GHGs, as an alternative to imported coal. In the case of West Cumbria mining, this claim was adopted by Cumbria County Council and lead to a successful application for a coking coal mine set to run beyond 2050.
Prof Paul Ekins O.B.E, a leading resource economist and policy advisor, explains why this argument is, in his words, “economic nonsense” and should not justify the extension of the Bradley coal mine in County Durham, which is currently up for review.
This letter was submitted as part of the consultation on Banks’ proposal to mine at West Bradley.
