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Greenpeace activists enter the world's biggest coal port at Newcastle and paint the message "Australia Pushing Export Coal" on the side of a coal ship.
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The 12 activists painted the message "Australia Pushing Export Coal" in two metre high letters along the side of a coal ship in a peaceful protest to highlight to the world that Australia’s addiction to coal is behind its spoiler role in international negotiations on climate change.
"Australia’s climate policy is to 'Push Export Coal' and to hell with the consequences for the planet,” says Ben Pearson, Greenpeace energy campaigner.
"Real action on climate change means moving away from coal and shifting to clean, renewable energy – and we don’t have the luxury of time for expensive talkfests that have no concrete outcomes."Activists also unfurled a large banner in Chinese reading "Save the climate, be cautious of US and Australia". China has ratified Kyoto and has better emissions savings programmes than Australia and the USA.
During APEC week, Australia will export more than four million tonnes of coal, resulting in over 11 million tonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to the annual emissions from 800,000 average Australian households. Factoring in the costs of climate change impacts, as detailed in the Stern Review, Australia’s coal exports will result in more than $1.2 billion of damage during the APEC week alone, and $64 billion annually.Australia is already the world’s largest exporter of climate changing coal. In the next few years, the coal industry will undergo vast expansion. For example, Newcastle, already the world’s largest coal export port, will double in capacity.
“At a time when we need to see deep reductions in greenhouse gases, Australia is not only refusing to act, but is also increasing the greenhouse pollution it exports to the rest of the world. Australia’s climate policy is to protect coal exports at the expense of the climate rather than make the switch to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency measures we know we need to make.”
Greenpeace is calling on APEC countries to reject John Howard’s efforts to undermine the Kyoto Protocol through his calls for ‘aspirational targets’. Instead APEC should commit to negotiations to strengthen and extend the Protocol beginning in Bali, Indonesia, in December.
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Latest Update
6 September 2007: Newcastle Local Court has overturned the excessive bail conditions set on eight Greenpeace activists arrested during this action. The judge found that many of the conditions restricted the activists' fundamental right to protest. More
"Australia’s climate policy is to 'Push Export Coal' and to hell with the consequences for the planet,” says Ben Pearson, Greenpeace energy campaigner.
"Real action on climate change means moving away from coal and shifting to clean, renewable energy – and we don’t have the luxury of time for expensive talkfests that have no concrete outcomes."Activists also unfurled a large banner in Chinese reading "Save the climate, be cautious of US and Australia". China has ratified Kyoto and has better emissions savings programmes than Australia and the USA.
During APEC week, Australia will export more than four million tonnes of coal, resulting in over 11 million tonnes of CO2 emissions – equivalent to the annual emissions from 800,000 average Australian households. Factoring in the costs of climate change impacts, as detailed in the Stern Review, Australia’s coal exports will result in more than $1.2 billion of damage during the APEC week alone, and $64 billion annually.Australia is already the world’s largest exporter of climate changing coal. In the next few years, the coal industry will undergo vast expansion. For example, Newcastle, already the world’s largest coal export port, will double in capacity.
“At a time when we need to see deep reductions in greenhouse gases, Australia is not only refusing to act, but is also increasing the greenhouse pollution it exports to the rest of the world. Australia’s climate policy is to protect coal exports at the expense of the climate rather than make the switch to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency measures we know we need to make.”
Greenpeace is calling on APEC countries to reject John Howard’s efforts to undermine the Kyoto Protocol through his calls for ‘aspirational targets’. Instead APEC should commit to negotiations to strengthen and extend the Protocol beginning in Bali, Indonesia, in December.
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