After years of dispute over planning, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove on Wednesday waved through plans for a new mine in Cumbria, which would provide coal for steel-making rather than power generation.

The decision paves the way for 500 new regional jobs. But it has dismayed environmentalists, who say it will obliterate the UK's image as a climate leader and are preparing to keep fighting it.

The approval comes one year after the UK hosted the COP26 climate talks, when it lobbied other countries to "consign coal to history".

Lord Deben, who chairs the government's Climate Change Committee, said they "condemn" the decision, which "runs counter to the UK's stated aims as COP26 President and sends entirely the wrong signal to other countries about the UK's climate priorities".

The UK's "hard-fought global influence on climate is diminished by today's decision," he added.

The developer, West Cumbria Mining, said it was "delighted" it could now deliver what it called "the world's first net zero mine". It plans to offset the emissions from the construction, mining and domestic transport phases.

The mine could release as much climate-heating pollution as putting 200,000 extra cars on UK roads, analysis by think tank Green Alliance has found.

In his decision, Mr Gove concluded the mine would have a "broadly neutral effect" on climate change because some emissions from steel-making are inevitable either way, and the coal may as well come from "a mine that seeks to be net zero".

Lawyers for Friends of the Earth, which opposed the application during the planning inquiry, are considering further legal action.

The verdict was further delayed in November during the COP27 climate talks, when UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to make the UK a "clean energy superpower".

'Unnecessary step'

The International Energy Agency, a relatively conservative energy think tank, has said no further fossil fuel projects can be built if the world is to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

The coal is expected to come on stream around 18 months after construction starts, but around 85% is due to be exported.

Mark Jenkinson, Conservative MP for Workington, said there is "no sense in importing all of our coking coal, which would be an abdication of our climate commitments".

Both potential UK customers had said they were unlikely to use much of the coal. British Steel doubts it has the the right composition, while Tata Steel plans to shift away from coal to cleaner methods within 10 years.

Ron Deelan, a former CEO of British Steel, called it a "completely unnecessary step for the British steel industry" as supply was already plentiful.

Instead the industry needs investment in green technology, such as hydrogen, to make the UK competitive, he said.

If the coal were used domestically, it is expected to displace imports from the US and not from Russia.

The Local Government Association says the county of Cumbria has potential for 6,000 green jobs.

While some residents campaigned against the mine, local group We Support West Cumbria Mining welcome the jobs, new technologies and other positive impacts to the area.

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