European Gas Conference meeting in Vienna opens to protests

Record ID: 1717312

  • Title: European Gas Conference meeting in Vienna opens to protests
  • Date: 27th March 2023
  • Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (MARCH 27, 2023) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CHANTING PROTESTERS SEATED ON STREET, WATCHED BY POLICE OUTSIDE MARRIOTT HOTEL, VENUE OF GAS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) ANTI-GAS CONFERENCE PROTESTER, ANSELM SCHINDLER, SAYING: “There is a meeting in there of war profiteers, inflation profiteers to discuss the gas infrastructure expansion over the coming decades. This is happening in the midst of the climate crisis. If they succeed, it not only means we will fail with the 1.5 degree goal but we are moving towards two, three, four or even five degrees climate warming. That’s a catastrophe which will cost the lives of millions of people.” BANNER READING “GAS = COLONIALISM” POLICE ON MOTORBIKES WATCHIN PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER FROM ZIMBABWE WITH “DON’T GAS AFRICA,” LORRAINE CHIPONDA, SAYING: “Speaking from our own experiences in Africa, we have a colonial history with fossil companies who have continuously plundered African resources and extracted massive, obscene profits. And will Africa is left with a redundant land's water polluted displace from our ancestral lands. So I’m here to resist this agenda. We all know that fossil production has caused the global climate crisis, and Africa sits at the frontlines of the climate crisis. And this agenda to increase gas production in Africa is not to benefit Africa, energy, poverty, or Africa's developmental issues. But it is excluding its budget resources. And also, in addition to that, we all know that the climate crisis as it is Africa is not contributed much to the climate crisis and yet, we are suffering the most from the climate crisis. So we are resisting this colonial extract of profit-making agenda.” VARIOUS OF POLICE LINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER FROM ZIMBABWE WITH “DON’T GAS AFRICA,” DEAN BHEIKUMUZI, SAYING: “We are facing floods while facing storms. This is all a result of the climate emergency and the climate crisis is not waiting for us. So we are here to say no, we’re here to say we need renewable energy now, we’re here to say once again that we refuse to be Europe's gas station and we refuse to be perpetuated by regimes that only give vulnerability, that do not improve socio economic livelihoods. We’re here to stand and be the voices for Africa because Africa does not want gas. We want renewable energy. We want a sustainable future.” GROUP OF POLICE IN RIOT GEAR WALKING PAST CHANTING PROTESTERS IN STREET VARIOUS OF POLICE IN RIOT GEAR STANDING BY
  • Embargoed: 10th April 2023 09:17
  • Keywords: 1.5 degrees EGC European Gas Conference Vienna climate protest
  • Location: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
  • City: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: Climate Change,Environment,Europe,General News,Government / Politics,Climate Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001047227032023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A meeting of the European Gas Conference (EGC) in Vienna was met with protests on Monday (March 27) as climate activists accused participants of being “war and inflation profiteers.”
    Among the more than 250 attendees are the senior vice president of Norway-based international energy company Equinor, the vice president LNG trading of French energy company Total as well as representatives from Osaka Gas, Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall and Germany’s RWE, according to the organisation.
    The meeting “is happening in the midst of the climate crisis. If they succeed, it not only means we will fail with the 1.5 degree goal but we are moving towards two, three, four or even five degrees climate warming. That’s a catastrophe which will cost the lives of millions of people,” said protester Anselm Schindler.
    According to the European Gas Conference, the meeting “will address the long-term role of natural gas in Europe and its position in the transition to help reach net-zero targets.
    Key themes include creating long-term flexibility after the breakdown of European-Russia relations.”
    (Production: Leo Foeger, Tobias Schlie, Michele Sani)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register