Full feedObama, Merkel and friends are in the Arctic blocking coal!
From the top of the world - activists have just spent more than 30 hours calling for a global energy revolution by blocking a coal shipment in the Arctic (But we do wish it was actually Obama, Merkel, and friends demanding the world quit coal!)
Update 10AM CET Saturday October 3:
Activists are being removed from the coal loading site by police now. More soon. In the meantime - please take a few seconds now to call on world leaders to go to the UN Climate Summit this December and ensure a fair, ambitious and binding deal for all of us -- click here!Update 8AM CET Saturday October 3:
The Arctic Sunrise, its crew and a wonderful team of activists from across Europe are still blocking the loading of coal from the Norwegian State owned coal mine Svea at Svalbard, only 1400 km South of the North Pole, since 0700 Friday morning.Our crew did not accept police requests to move, and remained on site blocking the operation over night, in minus 15 degrees.
Read the full world leaders story here
From Juliette on board the Arctic Sunrise 3rd October, 9:25am CET
I went on shore late last night, to keep the climbers company for a while. It can get boring, hanging from a crane for eight hours. They were swinging a bit to keep warm - if you stay still too long at minus 15 degrees, no matter how good your suit is, it gets a bit chilly...
Their resolve never went down though. I'm always impressed by activists who seem to be able to hang in there, as long as it's needed, because it's simply the right thing to do. While I was simply taking mental notes of things to write here, they were preparing to spend the night - THERE!
The electrical room was occupied during the day in order to cut the power if anyone tried to start the conveyor belt. It hosted what I heard described as the "universal big red button saying 'STOP'". The workers promised that no harm would come to our activists and that the belt wouldn't start again while they were there - so nobody had to stay in that room overnight.
This morning, I woke up to find a new ship just outside of my porthole and later discovered it was the coastguard. What this means for the activists, I'm not sure yet.
Earlier, from Juliette
The sun is setting already behind the mountains on the fjord. We have been blocking the conveyer belt for over eight hours already, and we're planning on staying here for the night, and much longer if needed. From the deck of the Arctic Sunrise I can see the coal ship and the crane that the activists are occupying. Behind them are breath-takingly beautiful white mountains. Seals are all around us playing in the water.
Everything seems timeless, and it's hard to believe that this could be destroyed by misguided energy choices - but it will. As the climate warms, the likeliness of seeing polar bears here is getting less and less. Svalbard is polar bear territory, but where will they go when if it warms too much?
The Arctic region, where Svalbard lays, is at the frontline of climate change.
Glaciers and sea-ice are melting faster than scientists have even predicted. And the Arctic environment is reaching a tipping point. Yet, in the very same place, coal is being mined and exported to Europe for energy. More than 40 percent of fossil fuel emissions come from coal - making it the single biggest man made cause of climate change.
For a long time, the mines in Svalbard were mainly for subsistence. The one in Longyearbyen, the main village of Svalbard, only serves to power the town. Svea, however, is different. In the last ten years, the Norwegian government, which owns the mine, decided to boost production, in order to ensure its sovereignty over Svalbard. Next year, approval might be given to open yet another mine.
But coal isn't needed in Svalbard - and it isn't needed anywhere else.
Norway and all of the countries receiving coal from Svea - Netherlands, France, Portugal, Denmark, Germany - must show their commitment for saving the climate. It's time to quit coal, and get a strong, fair and binding treaty in Copenhagen.
A climber is currently streaming live video from up a crane, blocking a the loading of a coal ship (Click the refresh arrows if the video stops but bear with us - the activists only have a tiny 3G connection, so expect the stream to go in and out)
Live video is currently off
Comments
GREAT GREAT JOB!! You have our total support guys, please let us know how we can help you and keep us updated. Standing ovation for your action!
Posted by: loVegan | October 2, 2009 11:39 AM
It's handy to know that Svea is short for Sveagruva- that's the name you need if you want to look something up in e.g. Wikipedia.
Posted by: Jan | October 2, 2009 12:06 PM
Go for it guys, we admire you! And take care!!
Posted by: joelle | October 2, 2009 1:24 PM
I have found the information & pictures sent to me fascinating and helpful. I belong to a village organisation called Greener Futures involved in a local drive to inform people how to reduce carbon emissions, build for sustainabilty & lobby for change. We are due to have a village meeting with our local MP Shailish Vara to ask him 7 his party what they are doing to achieve the 10 for 10 initiative, as well as screening 'The Age of Stupid'at the school. We also intend sending a strong message to Copenhagen via Ed Miliband. And march on 5th Dec.
Posted by: Lesley Z James | October 2, 2009 9:05 PM