03
December 2008Print Send to a friend Quit
Coal. Ten Greenpeace activists prevent the
unloading of coal from the coal ship Hanjin
Imabari.
Enlarge ImageAabenraa, Denmark — The Quit
Coal tour reached Denmark this morning,
as activists in inflatable boats, supported
by the Rainbow Warrior, moved into the coal
terminal of the Enstedværket power
plant in Aabenraa, Denmark. A team of ten
activists is occupying a crane used for
unloading coal,and have settled in for the
night, while waterborne activists are protesting
Denmark’s coal-powered energy policy.
A short voyage away
on the other side of the Baltic Sea another
team of activists is still occupying the
chimney of Patnów power plant in
Poland. You can read updates live from the
smokestack at our Climate Rescue Weblog.
Update: After a night
spent on the crane a team of activists has
now blocked the conveyor belts used to deliver
coal from the terminal to the power plant,
further disrupting operations at the coal
terminal. We’ve taken these actions because
the world is heading toward runaway climate
change and the grip exerted by the coal
industry on our politicians is making it
impossible for us to turn back. Denmark
has no coal mines of its own, yet chooses
to generate 50 percent of its electricity
by burning imported coal. Poland generates
93 percent of its electricity from coal,
an addiction that is devastating its landscape,
environment and climate policy.
At present the collected
nations of the European Union are squabbling
over the small print in their ‘climate package’,
a collection of laws intended to make sure
Europe cuts its emissions. A deal is due
in the next few days, but a block of coal
states led by Poland and Italy is fighting
hard to weaken the deal. Other countries
are asking to buy their way out of trouble
by protecting forests in the developing
world instead of taking responsibility for
their own emissions.
The problem is you can’t
cheat the atmosphere. We need to cut emissions
in Europe and end deforestation; it’s not
an either or question. The problem is too
serious for half measures. If Europe can’t
get its act together and agree a strong
climate package the consequences will be
bad, and they’ll start immediately.
Right now, in Poland,
delegations from 190 countries are working
to negotiate the next phase of the Kyoto
Protocol. They’re all looking to the Europeans
to take a lead on cutting emissions. A strong
Europe could convince the developing world
that rich countries are serious about making
cuts and bring nations like China and India
into the deal. A strong Europe could convince
the lame duck delegates representing the
last days of Bush’s presidency to get out
of the way and accept that change really
has come to America. But if Europe is weak
any prospect of a meaningful deal could
fall apart.
The negotiations taking
place in Poland are scheduled to run for
another year and will finish in Copenhagen
in 2009. They started a year ago in Bali
and, unfortunately, progress to date has
been limited to say the least. By the end
of this negotiating session delegates must,
as a bare minimum:
Put a deal on the table
- we’re half way through this process and
there is no text to even start negotiating
over. That’s not acceptable.
Accept the science -
the deal needs to include goals that take
the problem seriously. That means worldwide
cuts of at least 85 percent by 2050, and
developed countries agreeing cuts at the
top end of the suggested 25-40 percent range.
+ More
Confronting coal in
Europe
02 December 2008 - Konin,
Poland — As politicians gather to discuss
the future of our climate, we took dramatic
action on land and at sea to kick start
an energy revolution. In Poland, activists
carrying a banner reading “Quit Coal, Save
the Climate” have scaled the 150 metre-high
chimney of the Patnów power plant.
Meanwhile in the Baltic Sea, activists have
intercepted the 300 metre-long ship Hanjin
Imabari. The ship is carrying a load of
coal from Richards Bay, South Africa to
North Europe’s biggest coal terminal at
Danish coal plant Enstedværket in
Aabenraa.
The Need for Action
has never been more urgent
In Brussels EU diplomats are working on
the ‘Climate Package’, a collection of policies
intended to cut CO2 emissions in Europe.
Meanwhile, at the UN climate talks in Poznan,
delegates are entering the second year of
negotiations about how the world can cut
emissions. If the EU agrees a strong package
the world may follow, if it doesn’t global
negotiations could be fatally weakened.
Our actions are sending the message to the
politicians to stand up to dirty coal power
and save the climate.
Tell your EU leaders
to do their part at www.timetolead.eu
Coal is the threat
Coal power is the biggest threat to the
planet. Not just because coal is the single
biggest contributor to global emissions
of CO2, but because of the way the coal
industry’s political influence threatens
to derail climate action. In Poland coal
supplies 93 percent of the electricity,
and this has led the government to try to
sabotage the climate negotiations by demanding
large opt-outs and weaker goals.
But it’s not just Poland
with a coal problem. Next door Germany might
have pioneered wind and solar power, but
it too remains under the influence of energy
companies like E.ON and Vattenfall who are
concerned that saving the environment threatens
their profits.
An Energy [R]evolution
is the Answer
It doesn’t need to be this way. Countries
like Denmark and Spain have made big progress
in developing their renewable industries
and Greenpeace’s Energy [R]evolution scenario
shows how the rest of the world can follow
suit. By investing in energy efficiency
and clean, renewable power the world could
not only cut emissions, it could save money
and create jobs. The EU could still use
its climate package to trigger an energy
revolution around Europe and inspire the
world. That’s why we’re taking action.
By taking our message
to the heart of coal country we're making
our position clear. In the next few weeks
our politicians will do the same. We’ll
find out if they've got the backbone to
stand up to coal and finally make good on
20 years of failed promises.
