Public action: People before Coal – protest against the International Coal and Climate Summit in Warsaw

The coal lobby is meeting during the climate negotiations in Warsaw. We don’t believe in coal as an energy source and don’t think lobbyists should meet during the COP to find further legitimisation for Poland’s dirty energy strategy.

That’s why the public campaign Cough4Coal will gather for a peaceful protest in front of the Ministry of Economy in Warsaw, where the International Coal and Climate Summit will take place. A set of 7 meter big inflatable lungs will be part of the performance.

Join us and help us make some noise against the hazards that coal poses to our health and climate, and to demand a world where coal stays in the ground for good.

Background information

The World Coal Association (WCA) is hosting an International Coal and Climate Summit on November 18-19 at the sidelines of the COP19 climate negotiations in Warsaw. For the Polish Ministry of Economy, the co-host of the event, it is an excellent opportunity to legitimise its dirty coal strategy for the coming years.

The WCA has also published a communiqué that calls for more efficient power plants but mentions in no way a different approach to energy production than through the combustion of coal – the most polluting energy source.

Coal fired power plants are among the worst sources of toxic air pollutants around the world. The emissions cause diseases such as bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer, artherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.

Not only does the use of coal seriously compromise our health, but thousands of people lose their homes to coal mines every year, often with many hardships involved.

The CO2 released trough coal combustion is one of the most important causes for man-made climate change, bringing us ever closer to the brink of a climate catastrophe. If we want to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect people from profit seeking coal corporations, we need to significantly cut emissions, keep fossil fuels in the ground and move from dirty energy towards democratic, community-owned renewables.

That is why the Cough4Coal campaign invites to the protest action to help extinct coal and improve our health and climate.

Details on the press conference

Speakers on the impacts of coal on health, climate and people’s livelihoods:

• Dr. Michal Wilczynski, former Polish Chief Geologist and former Vice-Minister of Environment
• Dr. Piotr Dabrowiecki, Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients’ Organizations
• Mona Bricke, Energy Policy Officer, Climate Alliance Germany
• Soumya Dutta, Energy Group, Beyond Copenhagen Collective (BCPH), India

RSVP: Please send your confirmation of attendance for both action and conference at: annadrazkiewicz at zielonasiec.pl

We will have Polish, German and English-speaking spokespeople at the events.

For media inquiries, contact:
Anna Drazkiewicz, Communications specialist, Polish Green Network
annadrazkiewicz at zielonasiec.pl
0048 514 32 67 80

Kuba Gogolewski, Energy campaigner, CEE Bankwatch Network
kuba.gogolewski at bankwatch.org
0048 721 44 01 19

For logistical questions, contact:
Katharina Kutzias, Action Coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network
katharina.kutzias at googlemail.com
0049(0)176-71909834