Challenge
Cumbria County Council accepted proposals for a new coal mine in Whitehaven to provide coking coal for steel, and create 500 new jobs. The Climate Change Committee said the mine is incompatible with national climate targets, and Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) found that 9,000 green jobs over the next 15 years could be created instead.
Solution
We launched CAfS’s groundbreaking report to national and local media, at a pivotal moment just weeks after Cumbria County Council announced a review of the project on environmental grounds. When national government ‘called in’ the mine just hours before the report launched, we news-jacked the story to influence the fast-changing conversation.
Result
We generated over 30 pieces of media coverage, with an estimated 821K coverage views, and a print and broadcast circulation of 36.2M. Highlight national media coverage included BBC News Channel, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, The Independent, and a range of regional media including ITV Border and BBC Radio Cumbria.
Impact
Media coverage of the report was widely shared on social media, by influential accounts including The Green Party, Greenpeace UK, Baroness Natalie Bennett, Prof Becky Willis and climate scientist Doug Parr. The week after the report launched, BEIS Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said there were “very compelling reasons” for the mine not to go ahead.
Media Coverage
