#StopAdani delegation in Munich, Germany, to confront Siemens CEO at AGM over Adani
- Hundreds of Germans to turn out to support Australians at 12 hour protest outside AGM
- 330,000 people sign German petition to Siemens on Adani
- Sydney student to deliver letter to CEO Joe Kaeser from Australian School Strike movement
- High quality photos available after the AGM here.
WHAT: A #StopAdani delegation have travelled to Munich, Germany, to attend tech giant Siemens’ AGM and ask CEO Joe Kaeser in person about his decision to continue their relationship with Adani in the midst of the climate crisis on Wednesday 5th February (German time).
The delegation will be supported by hundreds of Germans at a twelve hour protest outside the AGM, sending a strong message to Siemens that the Australian people, who have been battling climate impacts such as bushfires, heatwaves and drought this summer, do not want Adani’s coal project to go ahead.
The #StopAdani delegation includes:
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Varsha Yajman, 17 year old student and organiser from School Strike 4 Climate
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Dr Lindsay Simpson, tour operator on the Great Barrier Reef and award-winning author
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Edoardo Riario Sforza, campaigner from Market Forces
A representative from the Wangan and Jagalingou family council, the Traditional Owners of the land where Adani’s planned coal mine is located, will also attend the AGM. The Wangan and Jagalingou Family Council has called on Siemens to suspend its contract with Adani.
Along with Ethical Shareholders from Germany, the delegation will ask questions of Siemens senior management about Siemens’ involvement with Adani. Varsha Yajman will attempt to deliver a letter on behalf of the Australian School Strike 4 Climate movement to CEO Joe Kaeser.
The delegation will be supported by German civil society groups at a 12 hour protest outside the AGM organised by Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion. These protests are expected to draw hundreds of German supporters and will feature a burning world sculpture, and musicians. The protest is over Siemens recent signing of a contract with Adani Group to complete the signalling for their Adani Carmichael coal mine and rail project.
17 year old, School Striker Varsha Yajman said, “Seeing our country being destroyed by the unprecedented bushfires and drought has been devastating. I’m 17 years old and I feel it is my responsibility to represent my generation and the generations to come as we are the most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. Going to Siemens’ Annual General Meeting is an opportunity for us to demand an answer as to why big businesses are still wanting to support Adani, despite the climate impacts we are already suffering.”
Dr Lindsay Simpson, Tour Operator on the Great Barrier Reef said, “Climate change is impacting Australia’s tourism industry, from coral bleaching of the Reef to bushfires destroying our natural beauty and threatening our iconic wildlife. Phasing out fossil fuels is the only way to truly ensure our industry can flourish and is safe from climate change. As a Tourism operator I’ve watched the impact of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef. I am attending the Siemens AGM to ask Siemens to protect our Reef and the Australian tourism industry from climate change by not supporting Adani,” Dr Simpson said.
Extinction Rebellion Munich spokesperson Thomas Nier said, “Siemens is advertising its intention to be climate-neutral by 2030 but at the same time they are participating in one of the world’s largest coal mines. That simply doesn’t fit together. We’d like to send a strong and clear message to the company’s management to remind them of this.”
Eduardo Riario Sforza, Campaigner at Market Forces said, “Over 60 major companies have now publicly committed to never working on the disastrous Adani Carmichael coal project. Siemens’ appalling decision to keep working on Adani’s climate-wrecking coal mine shows it doesn’t care about the terrifying climate change impacts being faced right now by Australia and the rest of the world. Siemens is helping destroy our environment, climate, and its own sustainability credentials. No company that genuinely cares about sustainability and climate change can be involved in the opening up of a massive new thermal coal basin. Siemens is destroying its reputation by working on the Adani Carmichael project,” Mr Sforza said.
Background:
On 11 December 2019, Adani announced that Siemens had been offered a contract to deliver rail signalling systems for the Carmichael Rail Network. After the community contacted Siemens to ask them not to support Adani’s coal project, Siemens global CEO Joe Kaeser said he would “look diligently into the matter” and media reported that the contract was under review.
The contract is worth AUD$31 million (about 19 million euros), a small contract for a company that reported global revenue of around €87 billion in 2019. Siemens appears to be the only company left willing to provide signalling infrastructure to Adani’s rail line. Without Siemens, Adani would struggle to build a rail line to the Galilee coal basin. There are currently no coal mines in the Galilee: Adani’s rail line and Siemens signalling would open up this enormous new thermal coal basin.
Despite a wave of global protests and widespread controversy and media coverage in Europe, Siemens announced in January they would stick with the contract.The statement of Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser incorrectly claimed that the project has the support of the Wangan and Jagalingou traditional owners.
Over 60 companies have so far ruled out working on the Adani Carmichael coal project after sustained pressure by the #StopAdani campaign, with the most recent being Greyhound buses who announced they will not provide worker transport for Adani after March 2020.