In the article “Mine row goes on ahead of decision” (News & Star, Thursday, 13 August), it was claimed that “The [proposed coal mine] development has been welcomed by some for the jobs it will create in the area, while others have questioned the climate impact”.
I believe that through this framing, the article reinforces a widely accepted – although in my view incorrect – binary opposition between ‘jobs’ and ‘the climate’.
As the One Million Climate Jobs campaign has demonstrated, we are in no way forced to choose between ‘jobs’ and ‘the climate’. Indeed, quite the opposite is the case.
Taking action on climate change in the time we have left to avert serious ecological breakdown means that we have a great deal of work to do – and that means jobs. Lots of them.
We need workers to build, maintain and operate green energy systems and low-carbon transport networks; to develop energy-efficient housing stock; we need workers to insulate homes, train up new workers for the low-carbon economy, showcase the best of our county through eco-tourism and produce food through sustainable agriculture.
The jobs vs climate dichotomy is a false opposition and it is time this narrative was thrown into the dustbin of history. We don’t want jobs in a dirty, dying industry that destroys the planet. We want good, well-paying, unionised jobs in a socially-useful and forward-looking sector that will help to protect local communities and the wider environment for generations to come.
The people of Cumbria deserve nothing less.
STEPHEN GRAHAM
Brampton
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