There's No Such Thing as "Clean Coal"

Today November 18^th outside the Ministry for Finance in Warsaw, Poland, Young Friends of the Earth Europe held a photo stunt to protest against the notion of “Clean Coal”. This new term is one which is being thrown around COP19 like a hot potato, but YoungFoEE decided enough was enough and it was time to clear the air about the s called “Clean Coal”.

The stunt comprised three young activists dressed in suits and wearing masks with the faces of the Polish Minister for Finance, Polish Prime Minister and the Secretary of the UNFCCC. These three activists took to the task of cleaning coal outside the ministry while dozens of others stood on the steps behind them waving banners and placards from their organisations. In addition there was a large speaker playing music to which the crowds danced, attracting plenty of attention from passers-by and traffic.

YoungFoEE, Ireland included, made a very clear statement this morning. We do not buy into this “Clean Coal” nonsense. We do not accept that fossil fuels can be made “cleaner” or “less harmful”. We know that fossil fuels are a dirty source of energy and the only clean energy is that which comes from renewable sources. That is the energy that we want to use. That is the energy that we want to invest in. That is the energy on which we want to build our future. Nothing else will do.