Great news just in from Poland, where work on the giant Jóźwin IIB open-cast pit and coal mine near Konin has been suspended. Following a legal challenge submitted last December by Greenpeace, a Polish court has ruled that there were problems with the environmental assessment process undertaken before work began on the site. Construction has now been halted while the process is reviewed.
This is a big victory - Jóźwin IIB was the site for our most recent Climate Rescue Station, set up last winter to remind delegates at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in nearby Poznań that tackling climate change and building new coal-fired power stations are fundamentally incompatible aspirations. It will be particularly well-received by many of the peaceful activists who were attacked by mine workers at the end of last year during the protests.
This is a significant win in our battle against the mine, which if built would lead to around 50 million tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere, the displacement of hundreds of local people, water pollution and land destruction in an ecosystem protected under the Natura 2000 network.
In case you need reminding, coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels, and represents the single greatest threat facing our climate. Lignite (brown coal of the kind which would be mined in Jóźwin IIB) releases more CO2 than any other type of coal - so it's a great relief to see construction of this massive new mine suspended! And while this is only a delay, our campaign team in Poland feels that there is now a good chance that the mine will be totally cancelled. They are doing everything (peacefully, of course) possible to make sure this is the case.
Scientists raise the alarm
This victory comes as leading scientists are sharing their latest climate research in Copenhagen, Denmark. They have just warned that climate change is accelerating at a greater rate than they expected and that it will worsen dramatically if we do not take urgent action now. Copenhagen will also host the most important UN climate negotiations ever this December. As governments prepare for this meeting we are reminding them that quitting coal is essential to any meaningful deal to save the climate.
It's particularly crucial that this message is heard in Poland, which is renowned for being obstructive in climate negotiations and for its attempts to undermine EU climate policy. The country is almost totally fossil-fuel dependent, relying on coal to produce 93 per cent of its electricity, more than double the world average.
Take Action
International pressure can help convince Poland's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, not to block the climate change deal. Write to Mr Tusk and tell him now is not the time to put short term interests ahead of planetary survival.
