Quakers call on the UK government to stop new Cumbrian coal mine
More than 450 church leaders and Christian environmental campaigners have signed a letter calling on Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove to rethink a coal mine which received the go-ahead last week.
The new mine threatens the goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C with research showing that 90 per cent of fossil fuel reserves must remain in the ground if the target is to be maintained.
The letter, signed by more than 20 bishops and the heads of eight churches, states: “We acknowledge that this region needs investment, but the Government is supporting a dying industry instead of securing sustainable green jobs for the long term."
Every pound of investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry, it says, adding: "We lament this great injustice."
Paul Parker, recording clerk, who signed the letter on behalf of Quakers in Britain, said: "Quakers are led by faith to cherish the earth for future generations, and this includes keeping fossil fuels in the ground.
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Quakers are led by faith to cherish the earth for future generations
- Paul Parker
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"It is mystifying that the government has allowed the UK's first deep coal mine in 30 years to go ahead while we watch fossil fuel pollution severely impacting those in the world's poorest countries who have done least to cause the climate crisis."
Coordinated by Young Christian Climate Network and supported by Operation Noah and Christian Aid, the letter is endorsed by the Church in Wales, the Methodists, the United Reformed Church, the Salvation Army and others.
It quotes Michael Gove telling Christian think tank Theos in 2018: "Christians are called to remember their rightful place within Creation – and the vast web of life it created – and their responsibility to protect and defend it."
The letter urges the UK government to practise what (Gove) preached.