Promising jobs with no future West Cumbria Mining (WCM) has stated that the mine will create 500 local jobs on site, and aims to fill 80% of them with local residents. However researchers have found that the mine is highly likely to become a stranded asset, as the market for its coal is declining before the mine even opens, meaning it will not be profitable enough. In which case it will not deliver on its promise of training a local workforce, and providing them with high-paying long term employment. 

WCM states they plan to sell the coal to EU and UK steelmakers, however the UK and EU are rapidly phasing out coal-based steel production, and the high sulphur content of WCM’s coal makes it unmarketable to UK and EU steelmakers. Training workers to be skilled in a dying industry can not bring the high-paying resilient employment WCM promises. It is especially irresponsible when there is a far better long-term economic outlook for employment in low-carbon industries like renewable energy, retrofitting housing, public transportation, and recycling in the region, which could create up to 9000 jobs. Friends of the Earth have calculated that a programme to insulate homes in the area, cutting both carbon emissions and energy bills, could create as many jobs as the mine. 

Colossal carbon dioxide emissions will be emitted if the mine gets built. An independent consultant estimated that the mine will emit 2 million tonnes of CO2 between now and 2049. This number only includes CO2 emissions from the mine operations itself, and does not include emissions from burning the extracted coal which will be around 200 million tonnes according to Coal Action Network. There are also fresh concerns that the mining company significantly under-stated the methane release from the coal mine, a powerful climate change gas. These are emissions that the UK carbon budget cannot afford, if remaining within 1.5°C limits. The chairman of the Climate Change Committee Lord Deben stated that the coal mine is “absolutely indefensible” in the context of the UKs legally agreed climate commitments. 

“Net zero” strategies are limited in scope and unfounded. West Cumbria Mining has stated that they will build and operate the world’s first ‘net-zero’ underground coal mine. They do not include emissions from burning the extracted coal in this commitment. Their strategy for net-zero includes carbon offsetting through an agency called Gold Standard. The chief executive of Gold Standard, Maragaret Kim, stated that using their reforestation and renewable energy-based carbon credits to offset a coal mine was “nonsense”, as any new extraction of fossil fuels is unjustifiable, and cannot be offset. 

Major and unnecessary emissions would be released from burning the coal produced at the mine, which is destined for steel making. Steelmaking currently accounts for 11% of global CO2 emissions, in part because the most common steel making technique today requires burning coal to reduce iron ore. However, technological improvements coupled with increased demand for green steel is triggering a rapid transition away from coal-based steel production. The mine is predicted to sell 64 million tonnes of coal between now and 2049 to burn in the steelmaking process. Coal Action Network calculated that this could emit 200 million tonnes between now and 2049, which is equivalent to the United Arab Emirates' total 2021 emissions. With low-carbon alternatives available, there’s no justification for continuing to lock the world into coal-based steel. 

Significant methane emissions from the mine could jeopardise the UK’s methane pledge, and dramatically accelerate global warming. A report by Ember found that WCM underestimated their potential methane emissions by 3.5x, and that their claimed ability to mitigate methane emissions by 95% are technologically unfounded. With current technologies, at most they can reduce it by 69%. Ember estimates that the mine could add almost 40% to the UK’s fossil production methane emissions by 2030. When the UK signed the global methane pledge in 2021, they committed to reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030. The West Cumbria mine puts the UK at a high risk of exceeding their agreed methane limits. 

Biodiversity loss would result from the construction and operation of the mine. Even with future conservation and restoration plans proposed by West Cumbria Mining (WCM), an independent ecological consultant estimated that there would be a net loss of 8.88% biodiversity in the region. There is also a worrying trend in the UK of underdelivering on restoration programs after the lifetime of mines. 

Potential destruction of an ancient woodland ecosystem. The development plans of the West Cumbria coal mine include plans to build a conveyor belt to a rail loading facility. While one option would tunnel under the woodlands, another option is to use a “cut-and-cover” method, which would result in the clearing of ancient woodlands. While the full ecological impact has not been assessed, the clearing of ancient trees will have a negative impact on the soil and biodiversity of the woodlands. Bat and bird populations in particular would be under threat from the operations of the mine.