Quit Coal, Save Climate

Image courtesy of Greenpeace International

Early Tuesday morning (December 2, 2008), 11 Greenpeace activists scaled a 150-metre high chimney at the Pątnów Power Plant in Poland to hang an anti-coal banner reading “Quit coal, save the climate”. Greenpeace is calling on the Polish government to stop attempting to undermine the European Union climate package. The anti-coal action comes one day after the Polish Prime Minister said at the opening of the UN Climate Negotiations in Poznan that nothing would be allowed to upset the symbiotic relationship between man and nature.

“We support our Prime Minister when he says that we should not upset the relationship between man and nature,” said Magdalena Zowsik, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Poland. “But…we want an action plan explaining how our Prime Minister will help this country quit coal and implement the Polish target for clean renewable energy.”

Poland still has plans to build coal-fired power plants and open new coal mines, which it is using as a reason to resist the EU climate package, reports Greenpeace.

Image courtesy Greenpeace International

Greenpeace hopes the nations currently negotiating in Poland will agree to: a “climate vision” that will address global emissions peaking by 2015; a draft text on the table to start negotiations in March; a detailed work plan to get this completed by Copenhagen in December 2009; and developed countries must agree to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets at the upper end of 25-40%, as identified by the IPCC.

The UN Climate Negotiations in Poznan continue until December 12, 2008. The UNCN attracts several thousand participants, including government representatives and observer organizations. Much of the world is hoping that governments will make real and significant commitments to reduce greenhouse gases at the Copenhagen Climate Conference 2009. There is growing consensus that global emissions must peak by 2015 and be reduced by 80-95% by 2050. Otherwise, 3 billion people could suffer increased water stress, and hundreds of millions face food insecurity, reports Greenpeace.