![\"Banner](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-sweden-stateless\/2019\/02\/52d85051-gp0stp9ik-1024x684.jpg\")
Environmentalists from Poland, Czech Republic and Germany protest against the burning of brown coal. They create a human banner in front of the coal power plant Jaenschwalde. The banner is shaped like a skull, coming like steam from a coal fired power plant and reads:” Coal kills”. The coal fired power plant Jaenschwalde is one of the five European power plants that are most damaging to the climate.<\/p><\/div>\n
By owning 100 % of Vattenfall, the Swedish government has a unique a opportunity to leave enormous amounts of lignite in the ground. As the government cannot guarantee that it will use this opportunity, the environmental movement needs to take action. By buying the operation Greenpeace wants to ensure that the new mines Vattenfall is planning are not opened and the lignite is left in the ground.<\/p>\n
Annika Jacobson<\/strong>, Greenpeace Sweden Programme Manager said:<\/p>\n \u201cGreenpeace is taking concrete action on behalf of the climate by showing its interest in Vattenfall\u2019s lignite activities. The Swedish government cannot contribute to an acquisition by a buyer that would continue to burn enormous amounts of coal. This is a signal Sweden cannot give before the Paris climate conference.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will have a serious discussion with Vattenfall on the acquisition. We have a thorough knowledge on the future of the energy market and on climate politics.\u201d<\/p>\n If the operation were sold to another buyer it would lead to opening of five new lignite mines. These mines contain an amount of carbon dioxide that would be equivalent to 1.2 billion tons.<\/p>\n At a time when coal use in China has diminished<\/a> Vattenfall emits more carbon dioxide than the total emissions of Sweden. The German lignite activities are the dirtiest part of Vattenfall\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n Selling the lignite activities and giving the opportunity to another actor to continue with enormous emissions does not help anyone.<\/p>\n Annika Jacobson says:<\/p>\n \u201cVattenfall and the Swedish government must take responsibility their emissions also outside the Swedish borders. If they don\u2019t do it we must take action. The lignite must stay in the ground.\u201c<\/p>\n ENDS<\/p>\n Notes<\/p>\n