Tens of thousands of activists took to the streets, occupied mines, blocked rail lines, linked arms, paddled in kayaks and held community meetings in 13 countries, pushing the boundaries of conventional protest to find new ways to demand coal, oil and gas stay in the ground. Participants risked arrest -- many for the first time -- to say that it’s time to Break Free from the current energy paradigm that is locking the planet into a future of catastrophic climate change.
Driving this unprecedented wave of demonstrations is the sudden and dramatic acceleration in the warming of the planet, with every single month of 2016 shattering heat records - combined with the growing gap between world governments' stated climate ambitions, and their demonstrated actions in approving new fossil fuel projects. On the last day of mobilisation, a key monitoring site on Tasmania recorded atmospheric carbon-dioxide exceeding 400 parts per million for the first time ever.
These actions took place under the banner of Break Free, which refers to the need to shift away from our current dependency on fossil fuels to a global energy system powered by 100% renewable energy. In 2015, 90% of new energy capacity came from renewables, signaling that a rapid transition to 100% renewable energy is more feasible than ever.
As the impacts of a warming planet become more visible in the form of rising sea levels, drought and stronger storms, the citizens who joined Break Free will continue to be a part of the next phase of the movement as it becomes more vocal, disruptive and powerful.
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
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Thousands worldwide risked arrest during the actions, many for the first time
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Media reports claim $20 million worth of coal shipments were halted by activists shutting down the largest coal port in the world in Newcastle, Australia.
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The UK’s largest opencast coal mine was shut down for a day.
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Hundreds stood up to South Africa’s most powerful family with a march that delivered coal to their front door, despite their attempts to silence civil society by pressuring police to revoke permits for a march
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Dozens of people occupied train tracks overnight on both coasts of the United States to stop oil-filled ‘bomb trains’ from rolling through communities — including less than 100 feet from low-income public housing in Albany, New York.
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3,500 people shut down one of Europe’s biggest carbon polluters in Germany, occupying a lignite mine and nearby power station for over 48 hours, reducing the plant’s capacity by 80 percent.
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10,000 marched against a proposed coal plant in Batangas, the Philippines
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3,000 sent an ear-splitting message to Indonesia’s president with a whistle demonstration against coal in Jakarta, and a few days later 12 activists climbed the cranes supplying coal for the Cirebon Coal Power Plant, and dropping banners to Quit Coal and for Clean Energy, Clean Air.
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Community members blocked traffic outside the gates of Brazil’s largest thermal coal plant, in Ceará
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On land and water, indigenous communities and local activists blockaded the Kinder Morgan tar sands facility in Metro-Vancouver, unceded Coast Salish Territories.
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150+ local activists marched and occupied the entrance of two fossil fuel refineries, which are the largest unaddressed source of carbon pollution in the Northwest of the United States
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In Aliaga, Turkey 2000 people marched to the gates of the Izmir region’s largest coal dump, and surrounded it with a giant red line, as a call to end plans for the massive expansion of coal in the country.
Anand Prabu Pathanjali, Climate and Energy campaigner for Greenpeace Africa, added:
"The break free 2016 campaign has a key relevance for our campaigns on putting an end to new coal and switch to a 100% renewable energy in South Africa. South Africa has followed a heavily capital and energy intensive development pathway, based almost entirely on coal. This pathway has been driven by resource extraction and development of connected set of interrelated economic activities - this is what we term as the Mineral - Energy complex. And Eskom has been the corner stone driving this.
The Speak out that was held at Witbank, Emahlani as part of the break free movement, brought together 200 odd communities who live along these mines and the coal power plants. They raised a united voice. Witbank area is home to the country’s largest coalfields, with no fewer than 11 coal-fired power stations along with the Kusile. The air pollution in this area was regarded as the world dirtiest air and the people who live here are first ones to get affected by this. Greenpeace's coal exhibition which was showcased during the speak out, tells the stories of these communities on how worse the situation is.
We strongly believe the coal pathway is nothing but outdated, expensive, it has failed and is filled with false hopes. It is time South Africa breakfrees from coal and switches to a sustainable Renewable energy pathway."
Contact for Greenpeace South Africa:
Mbong Akiy Fokwa Tsafack, Senior Communications Manager, 