German Climate Activists Protest Siemens
Climate activists rally against a proposed rail line. (Wikipedia Commons)
German engineering conglomerate Siemens faced large-scale climate protests this week in many major German cities. German climate activists have been critical of Siemens for its planned involvement in coal mines in Australia.
Siemens is a German multinational manufacturing company that specializes in engineering, automation, and digitalization. Founded in 1847 by Werner von Siemens and Johann Halske, the company was instrumental in creating the first long-distance telegraph system in Europe. Over the years, Siemens absorbed various manufacturing and technology companies. Today, it is a market leader in pioneering energy-saving technologies, power generation systems, and infrastructure projects. Furthermore, Siemens is also one of the world’s leading producers of medical diagnostics equipment.
On December 10, 2019, Siemens signed a contract to build a rail line between the Carmichael coal mine in Northern Queensland, Australia, and a port city. The coal mine is owned by Indian commodities giant Adani Group, and the contract to transport its coal is worth about €18 million ($20 million).
Climate activists in Germany and internationally, spurred on in part by the criticisms of teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, are calling on Siemens to end its association with the project. Twenty-three-year-old German climate activist Luisa Neubauer has led the German effort to stymie Siemens’ involvement in the project. In fact, Siemens’ chief executive officer, Joe Kaeser, offered Neubauer a job as either a member of the supervisory board or leadership council of Siemen Energy, the company directly responsible for the railroad construction. Neubauer declined the offer from Kaeser, stating that if she agreed to the position, she “would be obliged to represent the company’s interests and could never be an independent critic of Siemens.” Further, she explained that action “is not compatible with [her] role as [a] climate activist”.
Kaeser said that Siemens would continue with its role in the railroad project despite increased scrutiny by climate activists. Specifically, Kaeser said that while the company is increasingly cognizant of environmental concerns, “there is practically no legally and economically responsible way to unwind the contract without neglecting fiduciary duties” of the company, according to the Washington Post. Siemens also pledged that it will become a carbon-neutral company by the year 2030 despite climate activists’ claims that the project will increase levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which directly contribute to global warming.