At 2am this morning, four Greenpeace activists boarded the Windsor Adventure, a coal cargo ship importing coal from Colombia into Spain. Others painted "Quit Coal" in English and Spanish on the ship. The action was in protest against the Spanish government for causing climate change by relying so heavily on coal, the most polluting of all fossil fuels, for the country's energy supply.
The protest is part of Greenpeace's four-month "quit coal" ship tour
across Europe.
A report "El carbón en España, un futuro negro",
to be released today by Greenpeace Spain, and based on research by
Ecofys S.L., shows that the Spanish governments imports 24 million
tonnes of coal and pays €2,500 million in state aid to the coal
industry every year, more than the renewable energy industry
receives. A third of the world's CO2 emissions come from coal, yet the
Spanish government, like all EU countries, has granted the coal
industry CO2 emissions rights
for free.
"Our government talks about tackling climate change while
feeding subsidies to the industry that's causing it," said Aida
Vila Rovira, Greenpeace Spain climate and energy campaigner.
"Today's protest calls on to the government to quit coal and switch
to subsidising clean, renewable energy sources. The potential of renewable energy in Spain is
enormous and with the right investment, they can supply all the
electricity and even all the energy needed."
The action comes one day before the European Parliament votes on
the EU's response to climate change. Greenpeace is calling on the
EU to commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% by
2020, and to vote for measures to block construction of over 50 new
coal-fired plants in Europe.
"Coal is the single greatest threat facing our climate," said
Agnes de Rooij, Greenpeace International climate campaigner. "The
message from today's action is simple: to tackle climate change,
Europe needs to end its outdated dependency on coal."
This autumn, the Greenpeace ships Rainbow Warrior and
Arctic Sunrise are bringing the "Quit Coal" message to the
Mediterranean and Europe. The tour, from Israel to Poland, takes
place in the run-up to crucial UN climate negotiations in Poznan,
Poland this December. 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.
Other contacts: Isabel Rivera, Greenpeace Spain Communications:
+ 34626998248
Aida Vila Rovira, Greenpeace Spain climate and energy campaigner, on board the Arctic Sunrise:
+34 638101732
Raquel Monton, Greenpeace Spain climate and energy campaigner:
+34626998245
Agnes de Rooij, Greenpeace International climate and energy campaigner, on board the Arctic Sunrise:
+31 641456674
Greenpeace International press desk hotline: +31 20 771 2020
International photo desk: + 44 (0) 7801 615 889
International video desk: +31 6 46 16 2015