Trade union boss says coal exit is a symbolic “legend”

In an interview with German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, Michael Vassiliadis, head of IG BCE, the German trade union for mining, chemicals and energy industries, says the Green Party’s insistence on a coal exit in the ongoing coalition talks is symbolic, playing into the “legend” that giving up coal will not only secure national climate targets but make a significant contribution to global climate goals. Vassiliadis says operating lifespans mean the last German coal plants will be shut down by the mid-2040s, and emissions from coal fall by 50 percent by 2030, without political intervention. He says the focus on a coal exit supresses a broader discussion looking at transport, building and consumption as whole, as demanded by climate targets.

Read or listen to the interview in German here.