Protesters Block Coal Terminal

Environmental protesters in Australia brought the world’s biggest coal terminal to a standstill on Sunday by blocking railway lines and chaining themselves to rail cars.

The police said they arrested about 37 people who chained themselves to a train and rail tracks at the port in Newcastle, 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, north of Sydney to protest the impact of burning coal on climate change.

“This caused three trains scheduled for Sunday to stop before getting to the terminal, meaning about 20,000 tons of coal could not be unloaded,” a spokesman for the port, Matthew Watson, said.

“We’ve sent a message around the world about the need for urgent action on climate change,” said Damien Lawson, an organizer for Friends of the Earth Australia.

Loading of coal already in the terminal onto waiting freighters was not affected, according to Watson.

Big coal companies including BHP Billiton, Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Gloucester Coal and Centennial Coal rely on the port.

Protests were also scheduled for Monday, Lawson said.

With consistent demand, much of it from China, 38.7 million tons of coal were shipped out of Newcastle in the first five months of 2008, according to port figures.

Originally published by Reuters.

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