Greta Thunberg: Siemens should abandon Australian coal mine contract

Stockholm (dpa) – Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg weighed in on the controversy surrounding German conglomerate Siemens’ involvement in an Australian mine project, urging the company to withdraw.

Siemens plans to announce on Monday whether it will continue with its offer to build a signalling system for the coal mining project by India’s Adani group, chief executive Joe Kaeser said Friday.

It appears that Siemens has the power to stop, delay or at least interrupt construction of the Adani mine, Thunberg wrote on Twitter. “On Monday they will announce their decision. Please help pushing them to make the only right decision.”

Climate activists had protested outside Siemens offices across Germany on Friday, demanding that the conglomerate end its participation in the project in Australia, where raging bush fires have been met with calls to tackle climate change.

Adani wants to build one of the world’s largest coal mines in central Queensland, which would yield up to 60 million tons of coal per year from five underground mines and six open pit mines.

Siemens is to deliver signalling technology for a train line from the mine to the port of Abbots Point.

Environmentalists have been fighting the project for years, not only because of coal’s impact on the climate. There are concerns over the mine’s water consumption, destruction of habitat and transport of coal across the endangered Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef.

Across Australia, more than 10 million hectares of land have burned since the bush fire season started in September, which is early for the season. At least 26 people have died and several thousand homes have been destroyed.