16/04/2021
Environmental activists have disrupted work at the Mackay office of electronics company Siemens, demanding the company terminate its contract to work on Adani’s Carmichael rail line.
Siemens signed on to do Adani’s rail signalling in December 2019, after pressure from activists in Australia and around the world to reject the work on environmental grounds. Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser said at the time “given the importance of legitimate environmental concerns, we have secured the right to pull out of the contract if our customer violates the very stringent environmental obligations”.
Adani has had four documented environmental breaches since that contract was signed, related to illegal clearing of land and failure to meet their environmental obligations. They also were this week removed from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index over human rights and environmental concerns. Siemens has been silent through all these events.
Frontline Action on Coal spokesperson Andy Paine said “there are too many companies like Siemens who say all the right things about climate action and environmental responsibility but won’t actually do anything that could harm their bottom line. We are sick of being lied to by businesses like Siemens and corporate spin doctors like Joe Kaeser.
“Climate scientists have repeatedly told us of the need to take immediate action to avoid catastrophic climate change. Companies like Siemens are not helping, and in fact are actively hindering us by claiming to take action while enabling climate destroying coal mines. If Siemens have any integrity, they should stay true to their word and tear up their contract with Adani. If not, they can expect those who genuinely want to stop climate change to keep disrupting their business.”
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