Climate activists occupy Czech open-cast coal mine excavators

Several climate activists occupied two excavators in the northern Bohemia open-cast coal mines of Bílina and Nástup-Tušimice on Thursday morning, to protest the government’s timeline for switching to greener energy.

The mines operator, Severočeské doly, said work done by the excavators had to be stopped because of the protest. Police are on site and are monitoring the situation, the press agency ČTK reports.

The Czech Republic has committed to ending coal mining in a bid to lower greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 versus 1990 levels, and to net-zero by 2050, in line with the European Green Deal policy framework.