Fight for coal: Cumbria's last battle for the new mining!

Fight for coal: Cumbria's last battle for the new mining!

In the heart of Cumbria, a bitter struggle for the future of coal is raging, while the sun is falling over the controversial new coal mining.

Whitehaven, Cumbria, Nordland - "We were five miles (8 km) from here, 2,000 feet (609 meters) underground." David Cradduck, 77, looks at the vastness of the Irish Sea and remembers the days when he got down with hundreds of other miners into the deep shafts of the Haig Pit. These memories are not only nostalgic, they are also part of a struggle that has shaped the region in recent decades.

The cabbage industry, once the backbone of the local economy, has experienced a dramatic decline in recent decades. The closure of the last pits in the 1980s left a wound that still hurts today. "The coal in this shaft is about 600 feet (183 meters) deep," says Cradduck proudly. "We dismantled the coal and dug tunnels until we came across the coal waves." These memories are not just personal stories, they are part of a larger narrative about the identity and the struggle of people in Cumbria.

a new glimmer of hope or a dangerous step backwards?

Now, decades after the last coal mining, there are efforts to open up coal deposits in the region. A new deep mine near the old Haig site could create hundreds of jobs and boost the local economy. But the plans are controversial and have sparked a heated debate. "We are the dirty pimples here," says John Greasly, a former host who lives in the region. "The wealthy people in the southern lakes want we would not exist."

The plans for the new mine, which were presented almost a decade ago, came across mixed reactions. While some residents take hope, others fear that the return to coal would endanger the environment and endanger progress in combating climate change. "The cabbage industry has violated us in the past," says Fiona Heslam, an environmentalist who is fighting the mine. "We should concentrate on green jobs, not on the romance of past times."

a bitter legal dispute

The legal disputes about the mine are complex and have now lasted over a decade. In September, the higher court decided that the approval for the mine, which was granted by the previous conservative government, was unlawful. This was done after a pioneering judgment, the said that greenhouse gas emissions that arise from the burning and transport of the coal must be assessed before the approval of a project. These decisions have made the plans of West Cumbria Mining Ltd (WCM) considerably more difficult, which may now have missed their deadline for appeal.

The mine supporters argue that it is crucial for the region, while the opponents warn of the ecological and health risks. "We have the most contaminated areas in England here," says Maggie Mason, a former planning officer who speaks against the mine. "We should leave this place alone and make it wild again."

The debate about the mine is not only a local affair, but also reflects the larger challenges in front of which the United Kingdom faces Brexit. The Cumbria region, which once lived from the cabbage industry, is now fighting to reorient itself in a rapidly changing world. "We are here at the end of a 45-mile bag," says Greasly. "People here feel forgotten and ignored."

The future of coal in Cumbria remains uncertain. While the sun goes over the old mines, the question remains: will the region return to the past or take a new, green path? The answer could be decisive for identity and the well -being of the people in this battered region.