https://www.france24.com/en/20200110-siemens-mulls-quitting-aussie-mine-project-amid-protests
Siemens mulls quitting Aussie mine project amid protests
Siemens boss Joe Kaeser said the German conglomerate would announce by Monday whether it is to pull out of a project to supply rail infrastructure for a giant coal mine in Australia following massive environmental criticism.
Kaeser said Siemens, which supports the Paris climate agreement to curb carbon emissions, faced "a difficult decision" because it had a contractual obligation to deliver the signalling system for the planned mine in Queensland.
After holding talks with Germany's leading Fridays for Future activist Luisa Neubauer in Berlin on Friday, Kaeser said a final decision would be made by Monday.
The proposed Carmichael mine, owned by India's Adani group, has long been controversial but anger over the multi-billion-euro project has been fanned by Australia's catastrophic bushfire season.
Activists from Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion staged demos in dozen of German cities against the mine on Friday, including outside Siemens' Munich HQ.
A petition urging Siemens to quit the project drew some 60,000 signatures, while tens of thousands emailed Kaeser personally through the Fridays for Future website.
"Australia is on fire, we are in the midst of a climate crisis and burning coal contributes massively to the warming of the planet," it read.
"Stop supporting the destruction of our planet and our future!"
Siemens' contract to help develop the rail link that will transport coal extracted from the mine is only worth around 18 million euros ($20 million).
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Good catch. I didn't hear a word of this.
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