20
October 2008 - Sardinia, Italy — The Quit
Coal tour was back in action this weekend
in Italy. Activists showed up at the E.ON
owned Fiume Santo coal-fired power station
to let Sardinia and E.ON know their plan
to expand coal capacity in the region wouldn’t
go unnoticed.
The activists’ message
certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Activists
stopped the two conveyor belts delivering
coal into the furnace of the coal fired
plant. While climbers maintained a 14 hour
occupation of the conveyor belt and a net
secured net below, the regional environmental
minister met with us. He promised the regional
government would revise its energy plans
to meet EU climate protection targets.
Building the wrong capacity
In a time where we should be looking towards
renewable energy, local authorities in Sardinia
have plans to expand the coal capacity in
the region. Together with E.ON - one of
the largest utilities companies in Europe
- the local authorities plan to convert
two older units at the plant from oil to
coal. E.ON also plans to invest €50 billion
in the next two years to increase energy
generation capacity. They plan to build
eight new coal plants in Germany, Belgium,
the UK and the Netherlands (costing around
€1.2 billion each) and to construct another
2000 mega-watts of coal-fired capacity in
the rest of the EU.
Europe must quit coal
It’s time for the government and companies
like E.ON to start acting responsibly.They
need to stop investing millions of Euros
in new coal stations and instead invest
in renewable energy. The Sardinian authorities
are taking the first step towards climate
protection by committing to meet and exceed
the target for 20 per cent renewable energy
by 2020.
This autumn, the Greenpeace
ships Rainbow Warrior and Arctic Sunrise
are bringing the ‘Quit Coal’ message to
the Mediterranean and Europe. The expedition,
from Israel to Poland, is happening in the
run-up to crucial UN climate negotiations
in Poznan, Poland, this December, where
quitting coal will be essential to a meaningful
deal to save the climate.
Energy [R]evolution
If we’re serious about stopping climate
change we need an Energy [R]evolution. Greenpeace's
Energy [R]evolution scenario shows how renewable
energy, combined with energy efficiency,
can cut global CO2 emissions by 50% and
deliver half the world's energy needs by
2050.
