You Are Here:
At 6.30am this morning, Greenpeace activists shut down coal loading at Hay Point Coal Terminal in Mackay, Queensland – one of the largest coal export terminals in the world.
The 10 activists have scaled a 50-metre high coal loader and locked onto the structure to stop its operation.
|
|
||
| LATEST UPDATE 7.00AM, 6 AUGUST | ||
| The four climbers remain locked on and have stopped operations for over 24 hours. See images | Join the Facebook group in support | ||
| UPDATE 3.30PM, 5 AUGUST | ||
| The four climbers are still locked on and have stopped operations for 10 hours, saving 54,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. | ||
| UPDATE 11AM | ||
| Four climbers remain on the coal terminal, where operations have now been shut down for over four hours. See images | ||
| UPDATE 9.50AM | ||
| Two activists have been cut off and eight remain locked to the coal terminal. |
||
|
|
One of the activists from Fiji is locked onto the top of the coal loader, where he can see more than a 12 coal ships waiting to load. Here is his unique view from the top as a Pacific Islander who lives with climate change impacts:
"There are mountains of coal. It is a bit overwhelming - tonnes and tonnes of it. Eveything I see here means to me that there's one more family that will be affected, one more child that won't have the future they deserve."
Read the activist's blog post with images
Why are we doing this?
We are ramping up our call for real action on climate change as Kevin Rudd meets Pacific Island leaders in Cairns this morning. Greenpeace demands that Mr Rudd supports Pacific calls to drastically cut emissions.
The activists, from countries including New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Australia and the Cook Islands, plan to stay until the government gets the message.
Says Fijian campaigner Lagi Toribau, “Our people are facing the worst effects of climate change every day. We are taking action to tell Kevin Rudd that Pacific Islanders will not accept more empty pledges.”
Sign up to find out what you can do
Small Island States call for cuts
In a press conference on 4 August, the Small Island States repeated their call for developed countries to commit to cut their emissions by 45% by 2020.
“Kevin Rudd now has to decide whether to back the Pacific nations or continue this expansion of the coal industry. Time is running out and he needs to make the right choice,” says Lagi Toribau. “Australia has the opportunity to protect its neighbours and be at the forefront of change, or it can stay mired in a fossil-fuelled past.”
Even though the Hay Point coal export terminal is already one of the biggest in the world, it is now being expanded from 112 to 190 million tonnes per year
Briefing: Underhand and Underground: Kevin Rudd's Real Climate Agenda [PDF 379kb]
