photographer: C. Kowalski
Today, the Stop Elektrownia Północ campaign delivered a petition with more than 8,200 signatures calling on Dr Jan Kulczyk, chairman of the Green Cross International, to stop investing in Europe’s biggest new coal power plant.
To highlight Dr Kulczyk’s double dealings, the petition was handed over by Pinocchio together with a banner that displayed some of the comments signatories to the petition made. It was given to Mr. Piotr Maciolek, chairman of Elektrownia Północ, which is owned by Kulczyk Investment Group, at their headquarters in Warsaw.
Radoslaw Slusarczyk of the Stop Elektrownia Północ (EP) campaign said:
“Jan Kulczyk has repeatedly stressed that his priority as a businessman is to protect the environment. At the same time, he invests in dirty energy all around the world. He appears to be as trustworthy as Pinocchio.”
Billionaire Dr Jan Kulczyk is the main investor of the Elektrownia Północ coal power plant, also known as the North Power Plant in Pomerania, Poland. If built, the EP plant would emit around 10 mln tons of CO2 annually.
photographer: C. Kowalski
Dr Kulczyk’s investments stand in stark contrast to his role as chairman of the respected environmental organisation Green Cross International’s Board of Directors. He is also member of the Climate Change Task Force, which gathers international experts and leaders to solve the climate crisis.
Kulczyk, the richest man in Poland, has repeatedly declared his dedication to environmental protection. He said for instance: “We have a choice. Unless we start to eliminate the sources of global environmental risks today, tomorrow they will eliminate us.”
Diana Maciaga of the EP campaign said:
“Thousands of people are indignant at the discrepancy between Dr Kulczyk’s words and deeds. We are here today to demonstrate that the double dealings of Kulczyk Investments won’t go unnoticed. We appeal to Dr Kulczyk to walk the talk and invest in clean energy solutions.”
Radoslaw Slusarczyk added:
“Elektrownia Północ is a destructive project, that should never be realised. It poses a threat to our climate, people’s health, the Vistula River, local agriculture and Malbork castle, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. It would lock Europe into coal dependency for decades, at a time when we need to urgently shift to renewable energy.”
A representative poll by TNS Polska from March 2014 showed that the vast majority of Poles want their country to switch to renewable energy.
The Stop EP campaign is supported by a large range of social and environmental organisations including the Association Workshop for All Beings, ClientEarth Polska, Eko-Kociewie, Greenpeace Polska, WWF Polska and 350.org.
For more information, visit https://stopep.org/en