August 22, 2024 – 10:41 AM
Tesla’s new factory will be built near Berlin, which has already caused controversy and major protests. Now, environmental protection company Kairos has provided evidence of the company’s massive environmental damage by showing satellite images. The records show that between March 2020 and May 2023, a total of 329 hectares of forest were cut down on the site, which is equivalent to around 500,000 trees, according to reports. Guardian.
According to their analysis, the felled trees sequestered nearly 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the amount emitted by 2,800 internal combustion engine cars in the United States each year.
Since May, hundreds of climate activists have protested the planned expansion of the gigafactory, occupying wooden houses in a nearby campground and trying to storm the site. In March, one group also set fire to an electricity pole, halting production at the plant for several days. Tesla owner Elon Musk criticized local police for letting the “left-wing protesters” go.
According to an employee of the group organizing the protest campaign, the company's production of electric cars has caused natural destruction and global damage due to mineral mining, while the environmental problem is already huge in one of the driest regions of Germany.
