Hi John,

Boris Johnson is at risk of looking like a hypocrite.

Only a few days ago, the prime minister was walking the halls of COP26, meeting world leaders and calling on other countries to do more about the climate crisis.

But here’s the criticism the prime minister keeps facing: How can he ask others to stop burning coal, while his own government toys with the idea of building a new coal mine in Cumbria? 

Yet after facing tough questions on the issue, it looks like we could be on the cusp of a breakthrough. The prime minister just suggested the Cumbria mine is on shaky ground when he said “he’s not in favour of coal”. 

We’ve seen over and again that Boris Johnson can be forced into U-turns. So if we can turn up the pressure -- in COP26 and beyond -- it could be enough to force a U-turn on the Cumbria coal mine too.

To stand the best chance of winning this, we need to keep our campaign going, John. So can you chip in a few pounds to fund this work -- and help power our campaigns to end the age of fossil fuels too?

Coal is so bad for the climate that experts have singled it out as the “single largest source of global temperature increase”.[1] With the industry in the spotlight at COP26, here’s what we’re doing to stop the government from locking the UK into digging up more coal:

• Working with the media -- Greenpeace’s team of press officers are in regular contact with journalists at COP26, making sure the Cumbria mine stays on the agenda and pointing out the prime minister’s hypocrisy. 
• Pressuring politicians -- with representatives from across the UK government in Glasgow, Greenpeace’s political experts are there too. They’re meeting ministers face to face, laying out the clear reasons why the UK doesn’t need a new coal mine.
• Social media ads -- all this week, Greenpeace's social media team has been launching attention-grabbing ads on Facebook and Instagram. With your support, this ad campaign could reach millions of people and help push the issue up the political agenda.
• After COP26 -- just because the climate summit finishes next week, that doesn’t mean our campaign is over. With your support, we can keep the pressure mounting on the government into 2022, calling on Boris Johnson and other government ministers to ditch the Cumbria coal mine, and scrap plans for other new fossil fuel projects too.

John -- it really does add up when hundreds of us chip in just five or ten pounds, so can you contribute today and help give the best chance of us winning this campaign together? It only takes 60 seconds:

One reporter summed it up when he said Boris Johnson will be told “we can’t take this guy seriously”, if he asks other countries to stop using coal, while at the same time as toying with the idea of a new mine in the UK. [2]

Hundreds of thousands of us have signed the petition to stop the Cumbria coal mine, grassroots groups have been building pressure in Cumbria, and now the media are pointing out Boris Johnson’s hypocrisy too. Together, this could help create a breakthrough. And if that happens, it could pave the way for progress on reining in other fossil fuel projects too. So if you’re able to right now, please chip in to fund our campaign here.

Ariana Densham

Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace UK

NOTES

[1] IEA: Global Energy & CO2 Status Report 2019

https://action.greenpeace.org.uk/e/854853/2-status-report-2019-emissions/27792w/419704770?h=5CVSdo-2hjYBn4Mbpb26fcC227kBLgNkz3VSOa0TvVs

[2] World at one minute to midnight over climate change - Boris Johnson - via BBC

https://action.greenpeace.org.uk/e/854853/news-uk-59114871/27792y/419704770?h=5CVSdo-2hjYBn4Mbpb26fcC227kBLgNkz3VSOa0TvVs

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