Warsaw – Today, Greenpeace activists interrupted the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of PGE, the largest Polish coal energy utility and the biggest CO2 emitter in the country to call out the company’s inaction in response to the climate crisis and to demand a coal phase out plan. During a speech by Wojciech Dąbrowski, Head of PGE, activists displayed hand banners reading „PGE destroys the climate” and “Stop burning our future” to point out the company’s disregard for the climate crisis.
“PGE tries to deceive the public and its own shareholders by building the image of a company that cares about the planet and plans to achieve climate neutrality. In reality PGE not only doesn’t have a coal phase out schedule, but it also recently opened a new coal unit in Turow power plant that is expected to operate until 2044 at least. The only real plan that PGE has is to continue burning coal while expecting the state to eventually take over its unprofitable coal plants so that citizens foot the bill,” says Joanna Flisowska, Head of the Climate and Energy Unit at Greenpeace Poland.
In 2020, Greenpeace Poland sued PGE GiEK (a daughter company of PGE that combines its coal assets) demanding from the company to take the necessary measures to completely stop the emission of harmful greenhouse gases by 2030 at the latest. The parties have submitted pleadings and are now awaiting the first court case hearing. PGE GiEK provided the court with the opinions of so-called experts appointed by the company, in which they claim that the scenario leading to a warming of 3.5°C “would be optimal” for the economy.
The opinions delivered by PGE GiEK deny the scientific consensus on climate change by stating that „there is no convincing scientific evidence that the human release of carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gases will cause, or cause in the foreseeable future, catastrophic warming of the Earth’s atmosphere or disruption of the Earth’s climate.” PGE, contrary to the findings of science, also present claims that there is no certainty that the climate crisis is harmful and that this can be only determined post-factum, once the climate has irreversibly changed, „we will know these effects when the climate changes to a state that can cause phenomena harmful to the ecosystem and people.” Further on it is recklessly admitted that „of course, then it may be too late for the appropriate response of humanity.”
“It is outrageous that in 2021 anyone is still doubting the seriousness of the climate crisis, yet alone find 3.5°C degree warming ‘optimal’. The science is crystal clear: limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C is a matter of survival for people around the globe,” adds Joanna Flisowska.
Also today, representatives of the Polish and Czech governments are meeting in Prague for another round of negotiations around the Turow issue. For weeks, the Polish government has been unsuccessfully trying to mitigate the conflict caused by the destructive activity of the lignite open-cast mine, in relation to which the Czechs have sued Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU.
“Because of PGE’s irresponsible plans to continue burning coal in Turów until 2044, the region has already lost its chance for the EU’s just transition funds. Now Poland faces the threat of multi-million euro fines, or closing the Turow coal complex overnight. Instead of the clean energy transition we face chaos. The way out is to plan a swift coal phase out by 2030 at the latest and focus on the just transition,” says Joanna Flisowska.