A blockade of the world’s biggest coal port on April 24 was a success: no coal ships transited Newcastle Port.
It was a colourful protest. Fleets of kayaks practised manoeuvres in case a coal ship tried to break the blockade. The Red Rebel Brigade paraded up and down the beach.
Organiser James Langley said about 95% of carbon offsets are rorts and that satellite data showed methane emissions from Queensland coal mines were 50% higher than reported.
Peoples Blockade spokesperson Emily Ashton, a 15-year-old student and protest organiser, said: “Billions for fossil fuels is not a climate plan … we need a government that will stop funding the crisis and to start funding the positive solutions, which are proven and in reach.”
Law student and organiser Zack Schofield said: “The IPCC report warns we must decarbonise ‘now or never’ to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown. We need a federal government to heed these urgent warnings because our window of opportunity to have a safe future on this planet is fast closing.”
Planning for next year’s blockade has already started.