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Fifteen activists were arrested and received a range of charges that include: unlawful entry, malicious damage and risk of safety for climbing offences. Watch the final video from the occupation below.
Australia’s CO2 emissions spiralling out of control
The occupation coincided with the release of a report commissioned by the Climate Institute, prepared by Dr Graeme Pearman, former head of the CSIRO's atmospheric research unit. Dr Pearman's report found that temperatures and greenhouse gas pollution were rising faster than predicted by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Another report released today, compiled by the Centre for Global Development, a Washington think tank, said New South Wales was home to the two largest CO2-emitting power stations in Australia. The US report found Australia produced 10 tonnes of CO2 per person through energy usage, compared with nine tonnes per person in the United States, and two tonnes in China.
The report ranked Munmorah power station 20th on the list of Australian carbon emitters. Out of 50,000 power stations surveyed globally, the worst emitters in Australia were NSW's Bayswater station at Muswellbrook and the Eraring power generator near Lake Macquarie.
Government needs to take urgent action
Greenpeace energy campaigner, and a climber during yesterday’s occupation, John Hepburn said that Greenpeace’s activity yesterday showed that it is possible to stop rampant CO2 emissions.
“We can't just sit back and watch while scientists measure how quickly humans are killing the planet,” he said. “We should not be opening new coal fired power stations, nor extending the life of old ones, when we need to cut carbon emissions right now by making the switch from coal to cleaner, smarter energy."
Greenpeace is calling on both major political parties to reverse Australia’s enormous CO2 emissions and to properly address the problem of climate change. Neither party has done this yet.
TAKE ACTION: Help us pressure the government, by hitting the stop button on coal.
READ: the full occupation story
WATCH: video of activist occupation
VIEW: images from the occupation.
LEARN: more about the Munmorah coal-fired power station.
Meanwhile … in Spain
Around the same time our Australian activists were occupying Munmorah, on the other side of the world Greenpeace activists in Spain were preventing the unloading of a 145,000 tonne coal shipment at the port of Tarragona, just south of Barcelona.
Some activists locked onto the unloading equipment while others painted, "El carbon destruye el clima" on the ship and more occupied the coal pile with a giant banner.
The blockade coincided with the IPCC) meeting, which aims to finalise the ‘Synthesis Report’. The report brings together the current scientific understanding on climate change and will guide climate change policymaking over the next few years.
