Rising Tide is preparing for the biggest 2024 Peoples Blockade of the world’s largest coal port in its almost 20 years of protesting human induced fossil-fuel driven climate change.
Early on the climate organisation relied on clandestinely-organised “militant minority” lock-ons and blockades of coal trains, coal-fired power stations, loaders and other infrastructure.
However, Rising Tide decided that direct action, in and of itself, was not going to be sufficient to take on the power of the coal industry. Instead it started to prioritise mobilising large numbers of people to participate in action to both help build consciousness about the severity of the climate crisis and people’s skills and confidence as activists.
This was the genesis of the people’s blockade concept. The blockade is built on non violent direct action but, importantly, is able to be scaled up to include thousands or even tens of thousands of people.
Rising Tide’s three demands are:
- Immediately cancel all new fossil fuel projects;
- Tax fossil fuel export profits at 78% to fund community and industrial transition, and pay for climate loss and damage; and
- End all coal exports from Newcastle – the world’s largest coal port – by 2030.
The third demand is within reach and key to building a movement powerful enough to achieve the other demands.
Rising Tide deploys non-violence as a strategy, not because it is a pacifist organisation. It is informed by the work of Mark Engler and Paul Engler (authors of This Is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the Twenty-First Century, Nation Books, 2016) who argue that “nonviolence should not be simply a moral code for a small group of true believers to live by… [but]… as a political approach that can be employed strategically, something that social movements can choose because it provides an effective avenue for leveraging change.”
Rising Tide has been working hard to develop a people-powered grassroots network through a range of initiatives crafted earlier in the year via training camps which set out its priorities.
Starting in late April, it has taken a short film about last year’s blockade, The First Wave, across the East Coast hosting dozens of community and campus screenings.
Showcasing the vibrancy and impact of last year’s blockade, they were a means of drawing people in and getting the word out about the blockade.
A Rising Tide speaking tour, promoting the blockade, also went to multiple cities and rural areas. Activists have showed solidarity with the movement for Palestine, initiated a snap rally to support the Construction Forestry Mining Employees Union and hosted a union and transition webinar, with a second one being planned.
Opposing fossil fuel exports
Historically, social movements quiet down during periods of Labor governments. While Labor has differentiated itself from the Coalition by supporting domestic renewable energy — albeit within a privatised neoliberal framework — it remains a faithful servant of the multinational fossil fuel mafia, approving 28 new coal and gas export projects since coming to office.
The high school-led climate strikes in 2019, before the terrible Black Summer fires, gave a glimpse of the scale of self-organisation we would need for the climate movement to have the political power to force governments to take real action.
Rising Tide recognises that living in a climate crisis now demands effective climate action, which is why it is organising for a bigger blockade.
Previous actions have stopped coal exports for a day. Last year, 3000 people succeeded in blocking coal exports for more than 30 hours. There were 109 people arrested, including 92-year-old Reverend Alan Stuart.
Rising Tide is projecting that 10,000 people will take action over eight days in Muloobinba/Newcastle this year and then travel to Ngunnawal/Canberra for an additional two-days of protest.
It is methodically taking stock of each of its actions, asking how many new activists joined the movement and how many will come to the blockade. For many of those involved there is a sense that this blockade will be a powerful climate rebellion.
Those attending the blockade, which some also describe as a “protestival” — a joyful and confident protest — will be working with like-minded activists, prepared to stand up and be counted. The longer-term aim is to grow such a significant climate movement the government cannot ignore us.
We know the only option for a safe climate is to stop the fossil fuel giants from expanding fossil fuel exports during a climate emergency in which the countries of the Global South, which have contributed least to the problem, are paying the highest price.
Join Rising Tide and make history from November 19-28.
[Register early to help plan and volunteer for the many logistical tasks involved in 10 days of action.]