Quitting coal in Svalbard
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Early this morning, activists started blocking the loading of a coal ship in Svea, Svalbard - 75 degrees North. Two climbers are hanging down the crane used to load the ship as I write. They are calling for the end of coal as we know it.
The Arctic region, where Svalbard lays, is at the frontline of climate change. Glaciers and sea-ice are melting faster than scientists are predicting. So little is understood about ice movements up here, but what we do know shows that we are reaching a tipping point. Yet, in the same place, coal is mined and exported to Europe to be burnt. Coal is responsible for one third of CO2 emissions on the planet. That makes it the single most important source of carbon dioxide.
It is simply absurd that coal is mined here. For a long time, the mines in Svalbard were mainly subsistence mines. The one in Longyearbyen, the main village of Svalbard, only serves to power the town. Svea, however, is another matter. In the last ten years, the Norwegian government, which owns the mine, decided to boost production, in order to ensure its sovereignty over Svalbard isn't disputed. Next year, approval might be given to open yet another mine.
Coal isn't needed in Svalbard. I only need to look out the window and watch the seals play in the water to know that tourism could get an even bigger boost if the Norwegian government committed to it. Scientists are coming in from all over the world to discover Svalbard and study this incredible environment. Right now, mining represent one third of the activity in Svalbard, more as a political decision to keep the other ones reined in.
The Norwegian government, as well as those of all countries receiving coal from Svea - Netherlands, France, Portugal, Denmark, Germany - have to show their commitment for the climate. It's time to quit coal, and get a strong, fair and binding treaty in Copenhagen.
