Volunteers from eight countries together with local people(1) peacefully stopped the 50-metre
high excavator and laid out a huge banner demanding an end to
climate and landscape devastation. Other banners spelled out the
fact that if the world does not dare to phase out mines and
coal-fired power plants in the coming decades, United Nations
climate talks taking place in Poznan in December and Copenhagen
next year are destined to failure.
The action in the Czech Republic is just one link in a global
chain of similar events to come, beginning with the Climate Rescue
Station opened yesterday by Greenpeace at the edge of a similar
mine in Central Poland.
"Climate villains like Czech Republic or Poland cannot be
excused for their selfish attempts to torpedo new and ambitious
European climate legislation" said Jan Rovensky, Greenpeace Czech
Republic Climate and Energy campaigner. "If Europe wants to play a
credible role in the forthcoming global climate negotiations at
Poznan, it needs strong carbon reduction targets and tools at home.
It is up to older EU members and particularly the current French
presidency to stand firmly against the sabotage of European climate
legislation produced by some new member states."
Lignite is one of the most carbon intensive fuels (2). The Czech Republic has the
world's second highest lignite production per capita and fourth
highest CO2 emission per capita
among all European states (3).
If the CSA mine(4), where
today's Greenpeace action took place, is enlarged, a high
probability exists that Czech CO2 emissions from lignite combustion
will be doubled in the 21st century (5).
The landscape of Northern Bohemia, once called "the Garden of
the Czechs", has been turned inside-out by giant open-cast mines in
the last 50 years. During the communist regime, more than 80 towns
and villages were destroyed and their inhabitants forcefully
resettled.
Eventual enlargement of the Czech mines endangers not only the
climate, but would have heavy impact on local people. The entire
town of Horní Jiretín, including its two thousand inhabitants and
precious baroque church are destined for erasure. Locals, with
support of Greenpeace, have successfully held on for the last four
years in the face of aggressive negotiation tacts from the mining
corporation. However, their best hopes lie with the proposed Mining
Act Amendment, now pending in the Czech Parliament. The proposed
legislation will open a clear way for a "write-off" of lignite
deposits, which could cease to exist 'de jure' under the
legislation.
"My country is coal-addicted and it is almost too late to heal
it," said Vladimír Burt, deputy mayor of the town of Horní Jiretín,
who participated in the protest. "Our national government promised
the people of Northern Bohemia that it would start phasing out
opencast mines 17 years ago. Now it is time to fulfil this promise.
We strongly urge our parliament to adopt new mining legislation
that will effectively protect our homes."
Today's action is part of Greenpeace's global Quit Coal
Campaign. Greenpeace and other community groups are protesting
against coal worldwide. The Greenpeace flagship, Rainbow
Warrior, is in the middle of a ten-month "Quit Coal"
expedition, which started in March in New Zealand and is currently
in Europe, and a Climate Rescue Station has been established in
Poland. Three activists from the rescue station joined today's
activity.
Quitting coal will be essential to a meaningful deal to save the
climate. European governments must show leadership by phasing-out
coal in their own countries. Greenpeace's Energy [R]evolution shows
how renewable energy, combined with greater energy efficiency, can
cut global CO2 emissions by 50%
and deliver half the world's energy needs by 2050.(6)
Other contacts: Jan Rovenský, Climate campaigner of Greenpeace Czech Republic
tel. +420 723 623 238, e-mail: 
Lenka Boráková, Press officer of Greenpeace Czech Republic
tel: +420 603 443 140, e-mail: 
Magdalena Zowsik , Energy campaigner of Greenpeace Poland
tel: +48 228 512 642, e-mail: 
Vladimír Burt, vice-mayor of town of Horní Jiretín (in Czech only)
tel: +420 724 081 095, e-mail: 
Notes: (1) Today's action included volunteers and activists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Germany, the UK and Romania, and citizens of Horní Jiretín, the town directly endangered by this mine's enlargement.
(2) With emissions of 101 tons of CO2 per TJ of produced energy, lignite is about 38% worse than crude oil (73 tCO2/TJ) and 80% worse than natural gas (56 tCO2/TJ).
(3) In the Czech Republic, there are up to 5 tonnes of extracted lignite and 12.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions per capita every year. Thenation's electricity production depends heavily on the lignite combustion - almost 60% of Czech electricity is produced by lignite combustion.
(4) CSA is an abbreviation of the name of the mine, "Ceskoslovenskéarmády" (which means "The mine of the Czechoslovakian army"). The mine is owned by the Czech Coal corporation.
(5) The Czech government's proposed scenario for the phase out of lignite mining would lead to emissions from lignite combustion of 1.42 billion tonnes of CO2. However under the town of Horní Jiretín and the neighbouring area are sufficient deposits of lignite to produce another 1.37 billions tonnes of CO2.
(6) See http://www.greenpeace.org/energyrevolution