Erkelenz, Germany — More than 1,000 people entered the open-pit lignite mine Garzweiler today forcing the giant excavators to stop and blocking mining infrastructure in Germany’s Rhineland, Europe’s biggest source of CO2 emissions in Europe. [1]
Payal Parekh, 350.org Global Managing Director says: “That so many people came together to confront a major polluter through an act of civil disobedience holds a promise for the path ahead. No matter the outcome of the climate negotiations in Paris this year, people are building power to accelerate the unstoppable energy transition and keep the fossil fuels we simply cannot burn in the ground.”
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Contact: Melanie Mattauch, 350.org Europe Communications Coordinator, [email protected], +49 151 5812 0184
Photos from the action are available on the 350 Flickr account.
A live blog from the action is available at 350.org/ende-gelande/
Notes to editors:
[1] The Rhineland coalfields are home to three open-pit lignite mines and lignite power stations that include three of the five largest EU emitters, which released 86 million tn of CO2 in 2014. Utility company RWE is Europe’s single biggest emitter of CO2.