Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser regretted the decision of climate activist Luisa Neubauer not to accept the offered seat on the supervisory board of the future company Siemens Energy. He “respects her decision,” said Kaeser in Munich. “She could have helped to solve the climate problem rightly addressed by the Fridays for Future movement and would also have gained insight into complex entrepreneurial relationships,” he added.
Kaeser emphasized: “We are on one side with Ms. Neubauer and all people who see climate change as a threat. And we have the same goal in this regard: to combat climate change. My door is still open. “
He does not want to give an expert the job on a supervisory body. The suggestion by Neubauer to relinquish this seat to an expert is “well-intentioned,” said Kaeser in Munich. “But we already have enough experts and scientists.”
“The solution to our environmental problems needs leaders who understand and resolve conflicting systems together,” he added. There were enough experts at the climate summit in Madrid, “but far too little of this leadership. The result speaks for itself ”.
Luisa Neubauer had previously made a proposal to Kaeser for a seat on the Supervisory Board: “I will not be able to personally accept the offer, but I did Siemens asked to forward the offer to a representative of the Scientists for Future, ”said Neubauer. “If the company is seriously interested in climate protection and Fridays for Future, they will respect my decision.” Scientists for Future organize scientists from various disciplines who support the climate protection movement Fridays for Future.
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You know the stock corporation law, explained Neubauer her decision. “With the posting, I would be committed to the interests of the company and would then no longer be able to comment independently on Siemens. That is not compatible with my role as a climate activist. ”She is committed to the Paris Agreement and the 1.5 degree target to limit global warming. “These days you can see from the example of Joe Kaeser that this independent role is urgently needed.” So she also expressed herself in the “Bild am Sonntag”.
Controversial Siemens project in Australia
Siemens plans to deliver a train signal system to a controversial coal mine in Australia by Monday. The Adani Group, headquartered in India, plans to build one of the largest coal mines in the world in Australia, which is to extract up to 60 million tons of coal per year from five underground mines and six open-cast mines. The project has been fought by environmentalists for years. In addition to climate protection, this also involves the consumption of water, the destruction of habitats and the transportation of coal over the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world.
Kaeser had offered Neubauer a seat on a supervisory board of the future company during a discussion about the controversial project on Friday. Neubauer can decide for himself whether it is the supervisory board or another body, he said. Siemens plans to spin off its energy business as Siemens Energy in the spring and is expected to go public in September.
For Kaeser, the decision was not easy
“I can confirm that Joe Kaeser is aware of the disastrous consequences of coal mining from the Adani mine,” said the 23-year-old. He knew that in the worst case scenario, coal emissions from the mine would jeopardize the goal of limiting global warming to two degrees and that the Adani mine would have a devastating environmental impact. “He admitted in the conversation that it was a mistake to sign the contract with Adani,” said Neubauer. “A CEO like Kaeser doesn’t make the second mistake and sticks to such a catastrophic trade – but revises the mistake.”
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Kaeser said on Friday that the decision was not an easy one. There are different interests – from shareholders, customers and also society. He was also critical of his own company: “We see that we also have to understand indirect participations in critical projects better and recognize them at an early stage.”
Neubauer increases pressure on Siemens
Siemens has a key role in the Adani project, said Neubauer. Two companies that could also be considered for the order had already canceled. “Regardless of this, it is up to Siemens to prove that they are serious about their commitment to climate protection,” she emphasized. It does not go together to see itself as a climate protection group and to stand by the Paris climate agreement, but at the same time to participate in a mine project that endangers the climate goals. The “Bild am Sonntag” she said: “This mine is the worst coal mine project in the western world.”
Siemens and Kaeser knew that there were legal options to terminate the contract with Adani. “If all existing contracts in the field of fossil energies are met, there is no chance of still adhering to the Paris Agreement – says the Production Gap Report,” said Neubauer of dpa. The study by the international think tank International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines to what extent states’ plans for fossil energies are compatible with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to two or, if possible, 1.5 degrees in order to contain catastrophic consequences ,
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“Siemens is currently asked to prove that they are serious about climate protection,” said Neubauer. “No coal mine project in the western world is endangering the Paris Agreement as much as the Adani project these days.” Every single company that participates is one who makes this possible.
