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UK News

Christians protest to shut down Wales coal mine

A group of Christians are taking part in a mass action on Tuesday to try and close down a coal mine in Wales.

They are protesting about the continued use of the Ffos-y-Fran coal mine in Wales and are calling on the UK government to stop coal mining altogether.

Ruth Jarman from Christian Climate Action is one of the organisers and explained to Premier why they are protesting.

Ruth said: "As a Christian, I feel that we have to do what we can in our own bit of space and time really.

"Particularly, for the UK, I feel that we have a moral obligation to lead the world out of climate change, the way we lead in into climate change in the Industrial Revolution."

In 2015, the UK government announced that it planned to end coal burning by 2025.

But Christian Climate Action thinks this is useless if the UK continues to provide coal to overseas nations.

It has also suggested the move is too late.

Ruth Jarman went on: "We want to stress that it's not against the people that work in the mine.

"It's not against the police that are trying to keep people safe.

"Our motivation is to protect creation for future generations and for God, and for our children. Our fight is not personally against the people who're working in the mine."

She told Premier how people can pray: "Pray that our motivation is understood, that we're not just a bunch of radicals trying to make a farce.

"Our motivation is out of love for people and for the earth ...[pray] that people understand that.

"[Pray] that other Christians hear God's call to take peaceful action to protect creation."

At a special conference in Paris in December 2015, the government agreed to try to limit climate change to less than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Christian Climate Action says: "To have any chance of meeting this target 85% of known fossil fuel reserves, and 90% of coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, need to stay in the ground.

"By stopping mining at Ffos-y-Fran, the largest open-cast coal mine in the country, we are simply helping our government to live up to its own promises."

Listen to Premier's Hannah Tooley speak to Ruth Jarman here:

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