|
|
Post by jno on Feb 19, 2021 4:56:36 GMT
This story has been hanging about in the news recently.
2021 and Woodhouse Colliery, is a proposed coal mine near to Whitehaven in Cumbria, England.
The proposal is for the first deep coal mine in England since Asfordby pit in 1987. The coal mine has been advertised as bringing jobs to a deprived area but has also come in for criticism by green campaigners. In 2019, Cumbria County Council granted the planning permission for the venture.
Without getting too political, is this a good idea or a bad idea? What d'you think?
|
|
|
|
Post by Arch Stanton on Feb 19, 2021 7:52:45 GMT
I haven’t read up on it. A link would be good, otherwise I’m playing the very ill advised game of uninformed death matching. What’s the big three positives? I’m guessing... Jobs? To make money? Provide fuel for electric power stations to make steel? What’s the big three negatives? Vast majority of coal will go abroad? Aren’t we supposed to be looking at fossil fuel alternatives these days? Greta Thunberg and other such loonies will be on telly again.  So should we be selfish and do what every other country would do (namely start digging) or try and be a world leader in the globe’s efforts to halt/slow climate change (if it even exists on any significant scale?). Here and now vs longer term impact. U.K. retains its foothold in increasingly competitive world markets vs Britain preaches to the rest of the world about how right-on we are while the rest of the world laugh in our high falutin faces and we fall either further behind. At this moment I’m sort of thinking Yes we probably should do it. I’m willing to listen to INFORMED points of view though. |
|
|
|
Post by jno on Feb 19, 2021 9:55:57 GMT
Aren’t we supposed to be looking at fossil fuel alternatives these days? These days or the last 20+ years? Last I heard, burning fossil fuels releases something filthy called greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, shoving up levels of CO2 / other gasses, keeping heat trapped, thus contributing to climate change around the world. But hey, I ain't no scientist. According to these guys, coal is pure evil ... Now the question is, IS all this fossil fuel burning complete BS then? |
|
|
|
Post by bodiesstuntdouble on Feb 19, 2021 10:52:32 GMT
Pros and cons on either side of the argument but I chose YES - from what I've read most of the coal is of a particularly high grade and to be used in quality steel processing - the loss of either of these industries would be catastrophic to the communities and strategically bad for the UK overall. If the coal (and steel) isn't indigenously sourced the projects they're intended for aren't going to simply go away , the demand will still be there and will be supplied from overseas.
Far better to create jobs and build stronger infrastructures in our country than pour away vast sums of money abroad AND create further pollution with it having to travel such long distances to get here
On a similar theme I recently read that British vintage steam trains are under threat due to the particular coal (coke , not sure ?) only being available from one British coalfield that is close to exhaustion - now , there is another potential UK source that could provide it but the regulating authority has got the wind up because of the threat from the environmental lobby kicking up a fuss. Which leaves two options - 1) Australian imports or 2) Vintage railways in this country go to the wall....
|
|
|
|
Post by Arch Stanton on Feb 19, 2021 11:42:15 GMT
Pros and cons on either side of the argument but I chose YES - from what I've read most of the coal is of a particularly high grade and to be used in quality steel processing - the loss of either of these industries would be catastrophic to the communities and strategically bad for the UK overall. If the coal (and steel) isn't indigenously sourced the projects they're intended for aren't going to simply go away , the demand will still be there and will be supplied from overseas. Far better to create jobs and build stronger infrastructures in our country than pour away vast sums of money abroad AND create further pollution with it having to travel such long distances to get here On a similar theme I recently read that British vintage steam trains are under threat due to the particular coal (coke , not sure ?) only being available from one British coalfield that is close to exhaustion - now , there is another potential UK source that could provide it but the regulating authority has got the wind up because of the threat from the environmental lobby kicking up a fuss. Which leaves two options - 1) Australian imports or 2) Vintage railways in this country go to the wall.... Those are my thoughts too BSD. Although I don’t really care about vintage railways. I’d have to see in the bigger picture the income they produce. Strategically, with the here and now, I’m putting Britain first. Though if every country thinks like that, where do we go and how do we lower these fossil fuel issues. |
|
|
|
Post by jno on Feb 20, 2021 4:24:10 GMT
I voted no, although I agree producing your own over shipping in a pile of someone else's coal is the lesser of two evils. It would be sad to see vintage railways disappear but then again I was sad when Minder ended. I think steam engine preservationists probably need to get with it - if we are all forced into using electric cars and have to make a change, why should steam preservationists get a free waiver to the ruling and carry on shoveling coal? Hard I know, but fair as it applies to all. Like I say, seeing steam rail disappear is sad, but so is the disappearance of a Morris Minor to fans of those. Can't trains do dry wood? At least I can plant another tree. Back to the coal mine, I thought the UK gov had a 'Clean Air Strategy' didn't it? www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-air-strategy-2019Do new coal mines make for cleaner air? Sometimes people have to make hard decisions regarding the environment. Over the past 20 years it's pretty clear to me that the weather has more extreme outcomes than things I've seen in the past - flooding, heatwaves ... whether these are down to climate change we can never be sure but something is changing. Things do evolve over time, and yes, somebody will undoubtedly profiteer from greener initiatives. Whether we like it or not, electric cars are coming (not that I have a plug outside my house anywhere for miles so I'm screwed, nor am I a fan of electric cars). Plus, it's all pretty pointless if say only the UK or the EU decide to seriously address climate change issues and China and Russia belch their old school filth into the sky ad infinitum. The point is, we have to start somewhere and coal mines for me are a step into the past. Yes it brings jobs, but if people need jobs can't we create a wind turbine factory for them to work in, or get them making solar panels? Just a suggestion. |
|
|
|
Post by Arch Stanton on Feb 20, 2021 6:43:22 GMT
The point is, we have to start somewhere and coal mines for me are a step into the past. Yes it brings jobs, but if people need jobs can't we create a wind turbine factory for them to work in, or get them making solar panels? Just a suggestion. I’m not sure it’s that simple. |
|
|
|
Post by jno on Feb 21, 2021 3:41:44 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Arch Stanton on Feb 21, 2021 8:13:54 GMT
Yeah but jno, it states that guy is a “top environmental scientist”. So in all honesty he’s going to have a completely one-sided opinion. Therefore I didn’t read the article yet. I bet he has a narrative and the facts he chooses to present will support that. In fact I’d take his input with a pinch of salt because it’s clearly an emotional subject for him and I don’t think he’d be able to be objective as he sits there being interviewed by The Guardian (  ) gesticulating wildly. His opinion would be taken into account and weighed up but he’d be right down the pecking order. I would listen to his arguments but I’d be more inclined to listen to a strategist and an economist. Because there’s a bigger picture here. The bigger picture is: A) Will it help Britain become more self sufficient? B) Will it provide incomes and jobs in the long and short term? C) How much income can be made? D) Is it sustainable? E) What will it be used for? After all, you want sustainable, renewable “green” energy, you need fossil fuels for that. What do you think powers the electric power stations and makes the steel wind turbines? But what, we should buy it from Australia and have coal shipped here, what footprint does that create? F) How bad is climate change really? Coz I’m all for less pollution and greener ways of doing things and all that, but I’ll be honest I’m not entirely sure I trust this climate change stuff and how much we actually impact the planet. It seems to me we need to NOT be emotional about this. If it’s so bad why do places like China and America get free passes to do what they want? So they are okay but the little guy needs to shut up and think about the environment? I meticulously recycle everything I can here at Stanton Hall, knowing most of it ends up in landfill anyway coz it costs too much to recycle it. Which we out-source to a French company. Well done Britain, we have so little industry in this country we can’t even tidy up our own sh*t. The whole thing is a sham! It seems like a bit of a con, which plays into the hands of Global elitists. C***s like that Bill Gates. Oh he’ll make money out of this alright, you can be sure of that, Pricing the little guy out of the market, while we’re all walking about eating his synthetic beef, like the walking dead. Good little drones that don’t eat red meat, have oestrogen pumped into their drinking water, lowering their testosterone to make them more servile and agreeable. I don’t trust f***ers like that Bill Gates. |
|
|
|
Post by Arch Stanton on Feb 21, 2021 8:21:53 GMT
In fact this video discussing Bill Gates took me all of about 1 minute to find. This appears to be a brand new 5minute video.
And you actually trust this guy? Coz I don’t.
He seems very much like a hypocritical global elitist scumbag to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by jno on Feb 21, 2021 15:24:50 GMT
Does Bill Gates live up north these days? |
|
|
|
Post by bodiesstuntdouble on Feb 22, 2021 15:00:27 GMT
If it's for sale cheap enough then he'll probably buy it ?! ;+))
|
|
) gesticulating wildly.