In December Baptists were among 450 church leaders and Christian campaigners who called on the UK Government to reconsider the Cumbrian coal mine approval.

Baptist Union President 2022-2023 Hayley Young and former President Dave Gregory joined others in signing an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Secretary of State Michael Gove, asking the UK Government to rethink its approval of a new coal mine in Cumbria, which received the go-ahead in December.

The mine would dig up coking coal for steel production in the UK and across the world. Supporters say it will create jobs and reduce the need to import coal.

However the letter, coordinated by Young Christian Climate Network and supported by Operation Noah and Christian Aid, stated: ‘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. We know that every pound of investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry.

‘Coal from this mine will continue to heat up the planet, pollute the atmosphere, and most severely impact those in the world’s poorest countries who have done the least to cause the climate crisis. We lament this great injustice.”