NEWCASTLE, NSW (Climate Change Warriors / Pacific Media Watch): Hundreds of people have blockaded the Newcastle coal port in New South Wales today.
They have attempted to seal off the Australian port since 9am.
Only four of the 12 ships, including two coal tenders, scheduled to pass through the port have broken the blockade, lead by a group of Pacific Climate Warriors representing 12 Pacific Island nations.
“The coal which leaves this port has a direct impact on our culture and our islands, said Pacific communications coordinator Fenton Lutunatabua for the organisers, 350.com .
“It is clear to us that this is the kind of action which we must take in order to survive.
“Climate change is an issue which affects everyone and coal companies may expect further actions like this in future.”
The blockade continued today in spite of several encounters with police vessels which caused boats to capsize.
Traditional canoes
The 30 Climate Change Warriors have used traditional canoes, built in their islands and brought to Australia, to stop coal ships from entering and leaving the port for the day.
They are protesting against Australia’s plans to double coal exports and drastically increase gas production that are causing the climate change threatening their Pacific homelands.
The protest was staged on the same day hundreds of Australians closed their bank accounts with Australia's big four banks to make a statement against their financing of fossil fuel expansion projects.
The "National Day of Divestment Action" is part of a broader international campaign to shift investment capital away from the fossil fuel industry. ANZ, the Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac have so far lost over $200 million to banks like Bendigo Bank which has a policy against investment in fossil fuels.
Pacific Islands will face the impact of climate change with increasing sea levels, floods and intense storms.
Milañ Loeak, a 26-year-old warrior from the Marshall Islands and daughter of President Chris Loeak, said her islands were already feeling the impacts.
“I've seen my people and my islands suffer the impacts of climate change through droughts and floods from high tides."
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
Pacific Media Watch
