Yesterday (Friday June 27) CIA (Concerned, Independent Activists) locked on to and shut down a conveyor transporting coal into Muja power station in Collie. Two activists were arrested.
In the early hours of this morning a group of climate campaigners entered the perimeter of the Muja coal-fired power station near Collie. Western Australia and shut down the conveyor belt supplying coal into the station. This is a peaceful protest against the continued use and expansion of polluting and unsustainable power generation in Western Australia. One person has locked onto the conveyor belt used to transport coal into the power station, preventing its operation and stopping the conveyor belt supply of coal into the plant. Benjamin Cody, a thirty year old father of four from Bunbury said that he was shutting down the plant to highlight and protest against government approval of two new coal-fired power stations and plans for the construction of two more. “Each of these will have a lifetime of at least thirty years, committing ourselves and future generations of West Australians to dirty, polluting and unreliable energy until around 2040. The Carpenter and Rudd Governments need to be held accountable, and the transition to WA’s dean energy future has to start now,” Mr Cody said. “Generating electricity from coal-fired power stations is the dirtiest way to produce power on the planet Collie could be the ‘Silicon Valley’ of renewable energies if the government were to direct investment into renewable technology. Instead this money is all being directed towards the coal industry”.
Concerned Independent Activists (CIA) spokesperson, Nicholas Morgan said, “It is disappointing and frustrating that short sighted politicians and vested interests are preventing WA from moving forward into the renewable energy industry. This is not about taking away jobs, it’s about creating more jobs in energy industries that are sustainable and reliable, such as wind, solar, wave, and geothermal. Currently in Germany, there are roughly 250,000 jobs in the renewable energy industry which is growing every year,” Mr Morgan said,”The worldwide renewable industry is worth over $100 billion and is doubling in size every 20 months. Australia has real innovative strength and could play a big part, with environmental, employment and other economic benefits to follow. Australia risks being left behind in the dark ages”.
The action is also taking place in the shadow of WA’s gas and energy crisis. “It is absolutely unacceptable that in this day and age the West Australian government is still relying on fossil fuels for the state’s energy needs” said Mr Morgan. “Western Australia’s energy emergency highlights the need to invest in a range of clean and reliable resources such as solar and wind. It is a sad joke that the government is responding to the lack of gas by reopening the states dirtiest power station which was decommissioned because it used old, polluting technology”.
This action is part of a growing trend around Australia of communities who are frustrated with the lack of action being taken by governments on climate change. “All over the world people are reclaiming their power and asserted their right to live in a world free from dangerous climate change”.
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3rd July 2008 – Climate Camp hails Greenpeace action: promises more to come…
Organisers of the Camp for Climate Action have applauded Greenpeace for this morning shutting down the country’s biggest single source of carbon dioxide, Eraring Power Station, south of Newcastle…
Eraring power station is equal first in the dubious honour of biggest CO2 emitter in Australia with another Hunter power station, Bayswater in Muswellbrook.
Camp spokesperson, Holly Creenaune, said that direct action against the causes of climate change was a reasonable response to the inaction of Government on reducing coal dependence.
“The longer the Government prevaricates on this issue, the more people will take action themselves against coal power and exports.”
“Greenpeace have taken action that any reasonable person would take in the face of the urgent need to stop emitting greenhouse gases and the hesitancy of Government to take leadership.
“Next week hundreds of people will follow their bold lead and take part in the largest single direct action against the causes of climate change that Australia has ever seen.”
The Camp for Climate Action will culminate in a peaceful direct action on 13th July at the Carrington coal terminal, where hundreds of people will walk onto the coal rail line and stop coal exports in their tracks.
“This is the reality of the situation: having wasted the last decade doing nothing about climate change but carrying on increasing our greenhouse pollution, we are now faced with the need to begin decommissioning power stations and winding back coal exports.”
For further information
Holly Creenaune 0417 682 541
Georgina Woods 0438 223 771