European Union leaders meet this week in Poland to discuss fighting climate change. But as the EU seeks to slash greenhouse gas emissions, Polish coal miners are worried -- and defiant. Coal provides 94 percent of Poland's energy and some 117,000 jobs, a fact that's come into focus as the country prepares to host global talks on a new climate-saving pact. "Everyone wants to live in healthy air," said Waclaw Czerkawski, deputy head of Poland's Trade Union of Miners. "But you have to find some kind of balance, and you can't do that at the expense of the economy, industry and jobs." Poland's government agrees. Together with other ex-communist EU nations and Italy, it has threatened to block plans to cut the bloc's carbon dioxide pollution to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's initial proposal would boost domestic electricity prices by up to 90 percent, the Poles complain.
Coal provides 94 percent of Poland's energy and some 117,000 jobs, a fact that's come into focus as the country prepares to host global talks on a new climate-saving pact.
"Everyone wants to live in healthy air," said Waclaw Czerkawski, deputy head of Poland's Trade Union of Miners. "But you have to find some kind of balance, and you can't do that at the expense of the economy, industry and jobs."
Poland's government agrees. Together with other ex-communist EU nations and Italy, it has threatened to block plans to cut the bloc's carbon dioxide pollution to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy's initial proposal would boost domestic electricity prices by up to 90 percent, the Poles complain.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Worried they are to lose thousands of jobs in the steel sector, a mass protest of metalworkers from across Europe descended on Brussels on Tuesday (2 December) afternoon to demonstrate against the EU's moves to limit climate change. Lining up with steel industry to make the same demands as their employers, the trade unionists - the bulk from steel processing and industry-heavy Germany - demanded that the sector be protected from the danger of companies decamping to countries where the rules on carbon emissions are less strict. Steelworkers on the march in Brussels "We are for, not against a clean environment, but we are also for a good work environment," said Erich Foglar, the head of the Austrian steelworkers' union, the OGB, as some 11,000 demonstrators, according to organisers from the European Metalworkers' Federation, snaked their way through the heart of Brussels' European quarter. "The EU steel industry must not be at a disadvantage when competing against steel makers from other parts of the world."
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Worried they are to lose thousands of jobs in the steel sector, a mass protest of metalworkers from across Europe descended on Brussels on Tuesday (2 December) afternoon to demonstrate against the EU's moves to limit climate change.
Lining up with steel industry to make the same demands as their employers, the trade unionists - the bulk from steel processing and industry-heavy Germany - demanded that the sector be protected from the danger of companies decamping to countries where the rules on carbon emissions are less strict.
Steelworkers on the march in Brussels
"We are for, not against a clean environment, but we are also for a good work environment," said Erich Foglar, the head of the Austrian steelworkers' union, the OGB, as some 11,000 demonstrators, according to organisers from the European Metalworkers' Federation, snaked their way through the heart of Brussels' European quarter.
"The EU steel industry must not be at a disadvantage when competing against steel makers from other parts of the world."
