Warsaw - The Polish coal mine Konin said on Monday it will take Greenpeace to court, citing some 350 000 zloty (about R1,2-million) in losses after protesters recently blocked production for two hours.
More than 20 Greenpeace activists entered the mine last week, using ropes to descend down to the mine from a nearby escarpment. Nineteen were charged with entering the property without the owner's permission, and face up to a year in jail.
The case comes as Poland launched a two-week United Nations climate conference in Poznan on Monday. The conference - attended by 190 countries - will seek to put rich and poor countries on track for an accord to curb greenhouse-gas pollution.
"We think we're acting out of a higher necessity," Polish Greenpeace spokesperson Jacek Winiarski told PAP, saying the organisation is ready to pay if the court rules against them. "If climate changes are not halted, then humanity will pay a much higher price."
The protesters called for Poland to gradually reduce its reliance on coal, which currently provides more than 90 percent of the country's energy. They also want a plan at the UN conference that by 2020 will let Poland get 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, reported PAP. - Sapa-DPA