JEN MUIR of Extinction Rebellion is quite right to say that carbon emissions are a global issue “Campaigners stage 'keep coal in the ground’ demos” (Echo, Feb 13) – or as Boris Johnson recently put it, "we all live beneath the same sky".

The clear consequence of her organisation’s demand that the Bradley West surface mine extension, at Dipton, near Consett, be rejected would be to increase the amount of coal that British industry is forced to import, which would then unnecessarily add to the global volume of greenhouse gas emissions – in other words, XR would directly exacerbate the problem they are looking to solve.

Whether it is produced here or not, coal will undeniably still be used in the UK for the foreseeable future for a range of essential industrial processes, with the government officially recognising that "there will continue to be domestic demand for coal in industries such as steel, cement and even heritage railways".

While this need for industrial coal remains, where is the environmental sense in hauling it thousands of miles from places like Russia, which scandalously already supplies almost half of the coal used in the UK every year, when we can produce it in the north for significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting local jobs and investment?

Rather than the impractical and ill-thought-out sloganeering of "Keep it in the ground", XR’s message should really be “Keep Russian Coal in Russia”.

Mark Dowdall, Director Environment and Community, Banks Group.