Thunberg calls on Siemens to nix Australia coal mine project

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has urged supporters to put pressure on German firm Siemens over its plan to supply equipment to a coal mining operation. The firm says it has "the same goal of fighting climate change."

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Saturday urged German industrial giant Siemens AG to reconsider its plan to provide equipment to a controversial Australian coal mining operation. 

As wildfires continue to ravage Australia — the world's biggest coal exporter — Thunberg urged Twitter followers to help by "pushing them to make the only right decision. #StopAdani."

Adani is the name of a new coal mine under construction in Queensland. Run by India's Adani Power, the Australian government approved the project last year. Siemens is supposed to provide part of the signalling system for the railway lines necessary for moving the coal out of the plant and to the coast.

Siemens has already been targeted by the Fridays for Future climate protests, both in the form of physical demonstrations but also some 63,000 emails asking the company to consider climate breakdown and walk back its support for the coal industry.

Florian Martini, a spokesman for Siemens, was quoted by German newspaper taz as saying "we are on the same side and have the goal of fighting climate change."

Australia is one of the world's largest carbon emitters per capita because of its reliance on coal power plants.  The ferocity of this year's bushfire season — one of the most devastating in history — against the wider backdrop of climate change has raised questions about  Canberra's energy policy. Some 500 million animals have been killed as 10 million hectacres of land have gone up in flames. At least 26 people haved died and thousands of homes destroyed.

es/rc (Reuters, dpa)

SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=AUSTRALIA
SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=GRETA
SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=COAL
SEE  https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/search?q=SEIMENS 

Fraser Valley turkeys to be put down as another case of ‘bird flu’ confirmed in B.C.

By Staff The Canadian Press
Posted May 21, 2022

B.C. farmers are taking extra precautions to protect their birds from a highly contagious strain of avian flu. B.C. egg farmer and president of the B.C. Egg Producer Association Mark Seimens talks to Global News Morning about the protective measures being put in place to prevent the virus from spreading further. – May 11, 2022

About 4,000 turkeys are expected to be euthanized on a farm in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley on Saturday after the highly pathogenic avian flu spread among the flock, says a spokesman for the B.C. Poultry Association.


Ray Nickel said a quarantine zone has been established for three kilometres around the infected operation in Abbotsford, where he also has several farms producing chickens, turkeys and eggs.

“This is not a virus you trifle with. It’s very deadly for poultry and birds die very, very fast. When we actually notice it, we want the (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) to act quickly and put the flock down because it’s the best thing that can happen,” he said.

The agency confirmed the presence of H1N1 on the farm this week.

READ MORE: Avian flu detected on Vancouver Island in small Comox Valley poultry flock

On Friday, it issued a statement saying a small flock of poultry in Richmond, B.C., had also been infected with so-called bird flu though it did not provide information on how many animals were involved, or the type of poultry.

Nickel said a 10-kilometre control zone is expected to be set up around the infected farm in the coming days and nearby poultry farmers will need a permit to move product in and out of their operations.

The Fraser Valley, where the commercial turkey farm is affected, is the location of about 80 per cent of the province’s poultry farms.

Farmers have already endured a drought, labour shortages due to the pandemic and feed costs that have jumped by as much as 60 per cent, Nickel said.

“It’s painful because it involves an enormous amount of resources and timing. In some cases flocks have to be moved around,” he said.

Avian flu cases on the rise in Saskatchewan, Canada – May 8, 2022

The inspection agency said while the so-called bird flu is not a food safety concern, it is spreading across the globe and anyone with birds must use preventive measures like securing their property by a fence.

Small flocks are at risk of contracting viruses like avian influenza, especially if they have access to ponds or bodies of water known to be used by wild birds, the agency said.

H1N1 can also be spread on the clothing and shoes of visitors and employees moving from flock to flock, through contaminated feed, water, bedding and farm equipment as well as via airborne particles and dust blown by the wind.

Avian flu cases have been confirmed in several other provinces, but no infections have been detected in humans.

Bombardier Mobilizes Workers Power

Canada's ne plus ultra neo-liberal state capitalist corporatio; Bombardier is mobilizing its workers to demand it be given contracts to build subways cars for the TTC and for the Montreal subway system.

Bombardier employees told commuters on the Montreal metro system Monday that they want the government to choose them for a lucrative home-grown project.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest isn't ruling out the possibility that his government will award a major transport contract to Bombardier Inc. without a public tender.

Charest said Monday he is “receptive” to public demands that the Liberal government award the $1.2-billion contact to replace Montreal subway cars directly to Bombardier Transportation.

More than 3,000 residents of La Pocatiere, where the cars would be built, attended a rally on the weekend to pressure the province to do so.

Bombardier could not exist without government subsidies. It's competition is French state capitalist Alstom's and German State Capitalist Siemens. Alston actually has a plant operating in Quebec.

Being a state captialist business makes Bombardier the company of choice for the PRC. Bombardier wins $51.3M contract for rail link to Beijing Airport


And Seimens move to bid for building subway cars for the TTC could be seen as revenge;Bombardier wins $361 mln light-rail deal in Germany

But it does nothing for its share price, which continues to be boosted by Canadian taxpayers. Why don't we just own Bombardier outright, instead of continuing with the family business farce. That way the workers who are being used as pawns by the Bombardier family, could run the business themselves. And certainly the history of workers control in Quebec shows they can do it more profitably.

Bombardier "sell"

Monday, March 13, 2006 11:46:26 AM ET
Canaccord Adams

NEW YORK, March 13 (newratings.com) - Analysts at Canaccord Adams reiterate their "sell" rating on Bombardier Inc (BBD.B.TOR).

In a research note published this morning, the analysts mention that there are uncertainties surrounding the orders from US Airways on the company's backlogs and the timing of new orders, if any. These uncertainties, coupled with the lead time required with suppliers and Bombardier's current production rate, suggest that the company may have to cut the production of its larger jets in the near term, the analysts say. Canaccord Adams expresses its concern regarding the impact of the continuing appreciation of the Canadian dollar on the company’s margins in the near future.




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