118,916 of 150,000 signatures

Jamaika parties, Altmaier, FDP , Conservatives, Lindner, Solms, Laschet, Tauber, Spahn, Kloeckner, Groehe, Scheuer and Lambsdorff

Petition:

We call on you to act urgently to end the use of coal in our energy systems. We demand that you draw up concrete, actionable plans to phase out coal, while making sure that people and regions affected are treated fairly and not left behind.

Why is this important?

Across Europe and the world we’re facing twin health and climate crises, and burning coal is one of the main culprits.

We urgently need to move our energy system towards clean renewables and energy efficiency. Now, a new EU law to reform our energy market is in the making, and it could be the game-changer we need. But there’s a catch - a big one. Instead of setting the stage for a clean energy revolution, it might end up granting public money to polluters. Again.

The current proposal for the new EU regulation still allows coal subsidies under the name of so called “capacity mechanisms”. The coal industry and some of the European decision makers want it to allow member states to subsidize coal with our taxpayers’ money, and pay power plants to stand by and be ready to pump dirty electricity into the grid. [1]

Imagine: coal burning plants are earning money for the power they produce even as they damage our health and environment - and get extra subsidies just for being available! It’s a pretty sweet deal, and for many coal-burning plants, that is actually the only way they can stay competitive on a market already full of cheap, clean renewable energy.

But we still have a chance to act to stop European decision-makers from granting the dirty, obsolete coal industry yet another lifeline.

Before becoming law, the proposal is about to enter the crucial stage: negotiations between the European Commission, European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Some countries are fighting hard to keep their dirty coal industries alive, but many are on the side of a clean energy future. And the coal industry is getting desperate - they know that without public subsidies their time of spewing dirt into our air will end fast. So they’re putting all they’ve got into lobbying decision-makers.

This is why we need to mobilise. At this crucial first stage of negotiations on the shape of the future of Europe’s energy market, our voice - the voice of EU citizens - needs to be heard louder than that of coal lobbyists.

We’re demanding that the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the EU Commission commit to stop harmful coal subsidies and the misuse of our public money, and immediately put an end to use of capacity mechanisms to support coal plants.

Handing subsidies to coal utilities will prolong the life of this dirty, inflexible, unreliable infrastructure at a time in history when what we need are more dynamic, modern energy solutions. This money could help Europe and its regions develop clean green energy, modernise electricity grids to make them more efficient, invest into innovative batteries and finally let EU citizens become full players on the energy market. We cannot let it pay for any more coal!

The WeMove community is joining forces with civil society groups across Europe to work together to help heal coal’s social, health, environmental, and economic damage, and its negative impact on human rights. We are calling for a Europe Beyond Coal.

Right now, this means: no more public subsidies for coal. Ever. Our taxpayers’ money must go to regions to help them transform to a cleaner, more sustainable future, not to fossil corporations to continue their polluting business as usual.

References

[1] Eg. The recently approved Polish capacity market which until 2030 may hand out around 15 billion euros to energy utilities. Without robust EU rules for capacity mechanisms the vast majority of that sum might end up with coal plants. (Source - in Polish: https://www.documents.clientearth.org/wp-content/uploads/library/2017-12-12-ocena-ustawy-o-rynku-mocy-ce-pl.pdf)

In partnership with Europe Beyond Coal:

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118,916

of 150,000 signatures

Recent comments

Hugh

I fear for the future of my grandchildren

VINCENT

We need to look forwards instead of backwards. There is no point in saving a quick buck if it's destroying our planet. It is all down to financial greed and it needs to be stopped.

Patrick

We have no time for tolerating new coal developments when there is such and urgent obligation on the world to decarbonize as per the recommendations of the latest IPCC special report.

K

We urgently need to move out of fossil fuels, let's start with a total ban on the dirtiest of the lot, coal!

Mr S.

If you cant see why it's important you deserve to be extinct ! We've gone from a healthy 'part-of-nature' existence to an industrial-techno parasite/ tumour on our one and only life support system Earth. It's not hippy it's fact; We are only as healthy as our environment ! If this was at the heart of our education, financial etc etc systems from the start we would not be in the likely too-late mess we are in !!! We need focus, action & change like we are fighting a war ! As we are ! All life is in our hands now !!

Grace

We only have 12 years, according to the latest UN report, to prevent global warming reaching devastating levels. We need to transition to green energy very quickly.

David

We need plants and animals but they cannot adapt to the pace of change in our air from the burning of fossil fuels. It took hundreds of millions of years to adapt up to now - unlike the hundred and fifty or so of our coal burning at a growing pace!

Metford

Desperately important to have our say before we leave the EU

Margaret

To preserve a livable planet for my grandchildren and theirs

alex

to save the planet

Joanne

Everyone should be using green energy. This is only possible if more energy providers enable this to happen.

Sandra

Global warming

Brian

Every country has to move away from carbon fuels; the new IPCC Report underlines the urgency of this.

Helen

It's imperative that we start using clean energy immediately.

Eileen

I have four grandchildren who will need a habitable world to live in - as will all children throughout the world.

Deborah

We have to keep all the coal, gas and oil IN THE GROUND.

Ann

The IPCC gave us a final warning last week. It's time all politicians stopped supporting their friends/donors in the carbon fuel business.

Keith

and no nuclear energy either!

Ciaran

We are desteoying the living world on which we all depend

Denise

The future of the planet is dependent on us taking urgent action....it's a no brainer!

mary

THE ENVIRONMENT!!!!!!!!!

mary

THE ENVIRONMENT!!!!!!!!!

Rosalind

Shame on the businesses that put profit before the survival of their children and grandchildren!

Jean

We need to change radically if we are to slow climate change and keep the planet liveable. A change provides opportunities for development of different jobs if there is investment.

Julie

Please stop the damage these industries cause to our planet, it's people and all living things. Thank you.

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Europe must be coal-free: that’s a fact. But to make it happen in time to save lives and the future of our climate, we need to ramp up the pressure on decision-makers now. That’s why we’ve teamed up with partners from all over Europe in this long-term campaign to phase-out coal.

But effective campaigns need funding, and to be ready to mobilise and put pressure when and where it’s most needed, we need the stability and flexibility that only small regular donations from our WeMove community members like yourself can provide. Can you chip in each month and help the fight against coal go on?

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