– We cannot accept one rule for them and another rule for us, writes the president of Uganda on his blog. AFP reports. Yoweri Museveni points out that in Germany a wind farm is being partially demolished to expand a coal mine. At the same time, Uganda has received criticism for having entered into an agreement to extract oil. Companies from France and China are to invest NOK 100 billion in the country. If all goes according to plan, Uganda will start exporting oil in three years. The agreement involves, among other things, oil drilling in a national park. This has led to strong criticism from activists and to the EU Parliament passing a resolution in September that the project must be postponed. – We will not allow progress in Africa to become a victim of Europe’s failure to achieve its own climate goals, writes Museveni. Protesters at the weekend made a giant yellow X at the Garzweiler mine. The yellow X is a symbol of the fight against coal mining and coal-fired power plants. Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP Coal mine in Germany Germany has opened up more use of coal in power production after Russia has stopped gas exports, writes Ecowatch. Parts of the Keyenberg wind power plant in Germany have already been dismantled. The reason is that the power plant is next to a coal mine and the company that operates it wants to expand the mine. Coal leads to around twice as many CO2 emissions for the same amount of energy. The president of Uganda writes that the demolition of the Keyenberg wind farm makes a mockery of Western promises about climate goals. A lot of attention in Uganda The issue of the coal mine in Germany has received a lot of attention in Uganda after the climate activist Vanessa Nakate visited Garzweiler in October. Vanessa Nakate is present at the climate summit. Photo: Peter Dejong / AP Nakate is one of Africa’s best-known climate activists. Africa has by far the lowest CO₂ footprint of the continents. They account for around 3 percent of the total emissions. Nakate tells the AP that she traveled to Garzweiler to see the destruction that the expansion of the mine is causing. – I came not only to see how the destruction affects people in this place, but also people in my home country Uganda, she said. Nakate says that changing weather patterns are changing Uganda and that they are experiencing extreme climate conditions there due to global warming. – The expansion of this coal mine leads to the destruction of cultures, traditions and history from this place, she says. The Garzweiler coal mine is not what you would associate with a mine, but an open hole in the ground. Photo: Michael Probst / AP Emissions almost as big as Norway It is lignite that is extracted in the mine in Garzweiler. Lignite is considered the least climate-friendly form of coal. The mine is named after the village that was formerly located there. It covers an area of 48 km². When it is now to be expanded, not only a wind power plant must be demolished. The inhabitants of the village of Lützerath have left their homes because the mine is to be expanded. The mine supplies coal to the Neurath and Niederaussem power plants. According to Statista, they are number two and three on the list of companies in Europe that emit the most CO₂. In 2021, the two released 38.2 million tonnes of CO₂. This corresponds to almost 80 per cent of Norway’s total emissions of 48.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents last year.
ttn-69
