170 Rising Tide activists were arrested at the world’s largest coal port. Last year 144million tonnes of coal were exported from this port.
NSW police have arrested 170 people for allegedly defying directions not to enter the shipping channel in Newcastle Harbour.
The Port Authority temporarily paused shipping movements for several hours due to safety concerns.
That’s cute.
Do they not know that every energy company is conducting renewable energy and Australia has already committed to reductions in energy emissions?
These protestors drove their their coal and petroleum manufactured cars to the port, needlessly burning up coal and petroleum to get there only to paddle off in kayaks that were 100% made out of petroleum.
If they wanted to make a difference and get people’s attention they might have made canoes out of wood and portaged them to the port - or even better, planted thousands of carbon sinking trees.
Are they really making a difference or virtue signaling?
People without responsibilities or jobs, and plenty of money, probably supplied by some wealthy benefactor with shares in green energy.
In the last several years, we have seen an uptick in paid protestors, who are underwritten by political organizations. I especially appreciate younger generations who become passionate about a cause and can protest without violence, destruction, or illegal behavior (like blocking roads), but now that so many are staged and fake, protests have lost their impact.
Story time:
I don’t know if you all had this trend in your various countries, but we went through a period of “raising awareness” in which people were putting metal ribbons on the back of their vehicles to promote advocacy for causes about which they were passionate. Most were related to health conditions, but there were others for support of the country, first responders, and so on. In some cases, people had four, five, ten ribbons on their tailgates.
While chatting with several people at a party a few years ago, an unfortunate discussion arose (violating the law of Park Politics at Parties) about the poor response to veteran care in the next state over. The woman who started the discussion was enjoying a beverage or two, and alcohol had lubricated her extroversion to the point that she was bringing down the room carrying on about whether or not people were done enough - calling local officials, writing letters, and so on. Suddenly she turned to my very neighbor, who tends to be the strong silent type and asked, “Have you done anything to help out with this situation,” and without missing a beat he replied,
“I have put a ribbon on the back of my car. What more can one man do?”
Or they car pooled, caught public transport, cycled etc to get there
I’m not for or against this protest but they have to get there somehow and nothing to suggest they didnt do so in the most energy efficient way possible.
Picking at the way the got there seems just deflecting to me.
Struggling onto public transport with several canoes and kayaks sounds a bit dubious. And the mind boggles how they transported canoes and kayaks on bicycles…
Chances are, the people who financed the operation would have supplied the equipment and transport… 
I think you are just being pedantic July…
Well I am assuming the canoes were organised to be there, not everyone brought their own with them.
In fairness, I confess that I was being a little pedantic too, but it’s just as tiring to watch this kind of hypocrisy as it is to listen to Zuckerberg lecturing us on fossil fuel usage while he just took delivery on his 300 ft super yacht that burns the equivalent fuel and creates and produces as much pollution as 600 cars in - 15 miles! Face it.
That doesn’t change what they were made of.
Change for thee, not for me.
You can carry a dozen or more kayaks on a 5 by 8 trailer behind a car, the kayaks are made from oil not coal. Australia doesn’t export oil, only very large amounts of gas and coal.
Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coal and gas. The emissions from these exports dwarf our total domestic climate pollution. The Port of Newcastle is the biggest coal port in the world, and Australia’s single largest contributor to the climate crisis.
They are protesting about this government approving another 28 coal mines in the past year alone
The logistics are here:
Their web page here:
Personally I no longer care, climate change is going to affect my grandchildren and their children not me, if they wish to protest, good on 'em
I used to march every year to Aldermaston with the CND what did that achieve?
Yep, said that initially.
What Australia should really be fighting for is how little they get out of these mines at the cost to their environment. Why is Oz allowing so many of these mines to be foreign owned?
Royalties.
Maybe - but it does answer the question you posed of how the protestors and the canoes got there.
Picking at the transport they used to get there, assuming it was all by private car - and in oldgreyfox’s post assuming they could not have travelled by public transport or cycled as if each were bringing their own canoe with them.
I’m not for or against this protest but I think that was nit-picky and unfair.
By whom and a what cost July?
Nobody is nit-picking just showing the hypocrisy of their actions.
Not at all. People have been bombarded with finger wagging for several years, and they are tired of it., The hypocrisy weakens the message. If one wants to effect change, be a conscientious activist - not a hysterical advocate.
And not do it because you are paid to do it. Protesting climate issues should come from the heart…
I dont know by whom and at what cost - however I do think it is nit picking to jump to conclusions about people getting to the protest by car.
They have to get there somehow and nothing to suggest they didnt do so by the most energy effective means possible
nothing to suggest they were hysterical either.
But they don’t have to get there do they? To them it’s just a bit of fun and either a way to make a few bob or get a free meal. Why don’t they try getting a job like the rest of us.
Lazy annoying little sods…
When I was a courier I did a lot of work for the National Grid delivering transformers to Teeside. You could say “I was taking coils to Newcastle”
Yes they do have to get there. Protests arent effective if nobody gets there.
And no, i dont think it is just for fun nor do i think they are making any money or getting free meals out of it.
Nothing to suggest they dont have jobs either - people can take leave days, work shifts other than business hours etc.
And it certainly isnt lazy. That would be doing nothing, not being an active protestor.
I dont neccesarily agree with what they are protesting about - but making dismissive assumptions isnt fair, regardless of whether I agree with their cause.
