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Policy advocacy

We advocate for policy that secures the managed phase out of coal from UK industries, and end the UK's support for global coal extraction and use. Westminster has devolved some powers to Scotland and Wales, which means we work with the Welsh, Scottish, and UK parliaments to secure the policies we need to lock out coal. This is essential to protect our global climate, and discourage a swing back to coal in response to geopolitical events.

UK Government

We worked tirelessly to increase the ambitions of major political parties ahead of the UK General Election, leading to five of the those parties declaring policy commitments to rule out any new coal mining across the UK. We're now campaigning for the new UK Government to enshrine this commitment  within planning and energy policy.

Welsh Government

We've been engaging with the Welsh Government and Senedd on strengthening its coal policies. Once it was ahead of the UK and Scottish Governments, but now it is increasingly being left behind.

Scottish Government

We inputted to the Scottish Government ahead of its planning consultation, contributing to its de facto coal mining ban.

ACTIONS & NEWS

Welsh position on a coal ban needs to change

On 23 October 2023, over 30 Wales-based NGOs, businesses, and community groups signed an open letter to Wales’ Climate Change Minister, Julie James, calling for the Welsh Government to ban coal mining once and for all (sent by Climate Cymru). On 10th January 2024, Julie James wrote back…

Coalition backing a coal mining ban in Wales

Over 30 Welsh NGOs and businesses have signed a letter to Welsh Minister Julie James and Deputy Minister Lee Waters, demanding they draw a line in the sand and announce ban on any further coal mines on Welsh soil. The letter was delivered on 11th October 2023.

New vacancy: Policy Change Campaigner

You will create and deliver a political strategy to secure a moratorium (ban) on all forms of coal mining in the UK Government by January 2026, and the Welsh Government as a secondary goal. You will work in a team alongside two other coal campaigners. In our non-hierarchical structure you will hold equal agency in decisions affecting the organisation, and, after your probationary period is passed…

Energy Bill – cut out coal!

With a margin of 3 votes (197 for vs 194 against) in the House of Lords on 17th April 2023, Lord Teverson amended the Energy Bill to include a new clause on the ‘prohibition of new coal mines’…

Santa delivers Christmas coal to Gove for Whitehaven approval

On Wednesday (21/12/2022) a gang of Santas delivered sacks of ‘naughty list coal’ to Michael Gove at his Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities office in Whitehall on behalf of Coal Action Network and Lush cosmetics. Holding signs reading “Christmas coal for climate criminal…

Informal briefing to Welsh Government on Aberpergwm and Welsh coal

On the 30th November Coal Action Network held an event in the Welsh Parliament highlighting the issues with Aberpergwm underground coal mine.

We don’t need to set fire to our future to keep warm this winter

We sometimes hear from people that they are worried coal may be a necessary evil to keep us warm this winter. But the worst effects of this energy crisis was, and to some extent is, avoidable. Low-hanging fruit include home insulation, community-owned renewable energy generation, and an effective windfall tax…

“Scotland … has drawn a line, the era of coal is over”

The Scottish government has stated that the “era of coal is over”. Lorna Slater, Co-leader of the Scottish Greens, announced the preferred position against coal mining, for all types of coal. This is essentially a ban on coal mining in Scotland, similar to the one on fracking.

Coal extraction – call for evidence

oth Wales and Scotland has a long legacy of suffering the localised impacts of environmental blight and hazardous conditions of coal mining, with nearby communities rarely seeing a significant share of the economic benefits. Wales is still littered with unrestored or poorly restored coal mines. It was reported that only this year are…

Energy capacity market consultation response

We are concerned that the 2024 coal phase-out date is being used by the UK Government to deflect criticism for its support of using coal up until that date, when what we need is the most rapid phase-out of coal that is possible as the UK careers further from its climate targets…

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