Abi, our solar generation coordinator writes from the coal plant in Vado Ligure.

My 7hour trip to Vado Ligure was like gazing at a postcard from the train window -- blue sky and rocky cliffs dropping to the blue green Mediterranean sea. What saddened me though is the view of 2 looming smoke stacks of the 3rd dirtiest fossil-fueled power plant in Italy, owned by Tirreno Power.

Like any trip to a coal-fired power station, I get anxious on how locals engage with Greenpeace. But like all of the communities I have visited, I was amazed at the spirit of Vado Ligure.

While keeping watch of Greenpeace activists taking direct action on the smoke stacks at a playground 200 steps from the facility, residents offered cold drinks and shared their personal stories with us. They have endured failed promises of the company and the impacts to the environment and local tourism industry for 40 years. I was told that this was why the community and the regional government opposed the planned expansion of the facility.

We all want the G8 leaders to veer away from the politics and listen to the anti-coal sentiment that is sweeping the globe. Do they want to be remembered as the idiots who failed to take climate action?