IT IS with sadness I read Marianne Birkby’s letter (Letters, September 12, 'Sir David to the rescue').
She does not seem to have taken on board any of the comments I have previously made on this matter. I therefore summarize again my criticism of her reaction.
The coal is metallurgical coal which is essential to the steel industry and will be mined anyway, unless we shut down the steel industry completely.
Marianne Birkby must appreciate global warming will be the same whether the coal is mined in Cumbria or Poland. In fact it will be somewhat less if mined here as the not inconsiderable emissions from transport will be lower.
Shutting down the steel industry will not help either as we would then import all our steel, probably from China, a really major producer of greenhouse gases and with even greater transport costs.
As to her concerns about Sellafield being nearby, does she have qualifications in seismics allowing her to predict the magnitude and effect of earthquakes from the mine, and that they would be strong enough to cause a nuclear catastrophe?
Kent Brooks
Kendal
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