Activists scale chimney of coal plant ahead of COP24 in Poland

Environmentalists climbed a smokestack at Europe's largest lignite power plant in central Poland on Tuesday to spur politicians into action at the global climate summit that the country will host next month. The Greenpeace activists climbed a 180-metre (590-foot) chimney at Belchatow, to draw attention to the need to cut the use of coal for energy, a major contributor to climate change. The COP24 summit, which takes place December 2-14, will see representatives from over 190 nations gather in Katowice, the heart of Poland's southern coal mining region of Silesia. Poland has said Katowice showcases how a colliery centre can be transformed into a modern, environment-friendly city, with glass and metal buildings and parks now where the old mines used to be.