The good folk at the Public Interest Research Centre (PIRC) recently made an inspired contribution to the anti-coal crusade that's springing up around the country - they've just launched an online map of all the places that the coal industry is planning to dig and build new opencast mines and new power stations. It's interactive, zoomable, and full of information about the sizes of the mines and power stations being planned. Worryingly, there are more than a few.
But that's not all - click another button and you can see all the existing mines and power stations which make up the UK coal industry and, should you so desire, you can zoom in to reveal them in all their grimy glory. The map is intended as as living document that wil be updated as new information is added. And this is where you can help, because PIRC is asking for people to send in information about their local power plants, mines and planning applications. So, if you’re campaigning against coal in your part of the world, drop them a line and become a contributor.
This is a welcome addition to the growing opposition to new coal projects in the UK, pulling all the data about each proposal into one easily accessible site, which is great news. The bad news is that there are an awful lot of proposed new sites for opencast mines, on top of the six places the government would like to see new power stations. And we know that if the coal is dug out of the ground it will get burnt, and we know that if it gets burnt, and if we go on burning coal instead of investing in clean, safe energy sources like renewables, then we’re all in a lot of trouble.
So go and have a look at the map, and see if there's a new coal-fired power station or opencast mine about to rear its ugly head in your neighbourhood in the near future. If there is, then look for a local group to join and start opposing the planning process (groups have already formed in Scotland, South Wales, Shopshire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire). And if no local group has formed yet, maybe it's time you started one yourself?
