Action on the Maasvlakte: activists plant 18 flags, one for each nationality at the camp

As part of their global Quit Coal Campaign, Greenpeace activists from 18 different countries have today occupied the construction site of a new E.ON coal fired power plant on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The construction of the plant has halted and the activists say they will stay until the coal plant is cancelled.

“E.ON is ignoring all science around climate change by insisting on plans to construct eight new European coal fired power plants. The plant in Rotterdam is intended to be the first, even though it has not yet been granted the necessary permits. The previous evening the activists put up tents, next to the building site, to bear witness to the unfolding climate disaster. Then at first light they moved onto the site, paralysing the construction of the plant.”

The activists have locked themselves onto strategic points at the construction site and occupied the building cranes.

“Civil disobedience, like occupying a building site, is completely justified when compared to the impact on the climate of a new coal plant. The consequences for the climate from this coal plant would be so dramatic, that urgent action is needed now,” said Meike Baretta, Head of Climate and Energy campaign Greenpeace Netherlands.

Greenpeace and other climate and anti-coal organisations have been strengthen by the British “landmark global warming trial” in September which acquitted six activists who tried to shut down the Kingsnorth coal plant in the UK. The jury “found their actions justified when considering the damage to property caused around the world by CO2 emissions from the plant”.

Greenpeace is currently trying to put pressure on E.ON to commit to reducing its CO2 emissions. And today’s occupation is just one of several recent actions by Greenpeace targeted E.ON coal operations in Europe. Greenpeace recently led a flotilla against Kingsnorth, occupied the site of a proposed coal fired plant in Antwerp and halted the loading of an E.ON owned coal plant in Sardinia.

Greenpeace warns that coal-fired power stations will undermine European targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. EON has so far remained silent and continued its climate wrecking operations.

Update: The Greenpeace activists managed to halt the construction of the new E.ON coal plant for 10 hours before they were all arrested by police. Special police cut their chains and neck locks and removed everyone from the site by the end of the day.

Last week, during the Clinton Global Initiative, Al Gore encouraged young people to use civil disobedience to stop the construction of CO2 emitting coal plants.

“If you’re a young person looking at the future of this planet and looking at what is being done right now, and not done, I believe we have reached the stage where it is time for civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration.”

Countries around the world are investing money into new coal plants while ignoring their obvious threat to our climate and environment. For example, about 28 coal plants are under construction while 20 other projects “have permits or are near the start of construction” in USA alone. None of these coal plants have any carbon capture or sequestration. In fact there is not a single commercial-scale project that does this anywhere in the world. And probably there will never be any at all.

Al Gore most likely found it safe to urge for civil disobedience after the “landmark global warming trial” in UK two weeks ago. Either way, having a politician like Al Gore encouraging people to take direct non-violent action against CO2 emitting coal plants really show us how deep into trouble we are when it comes to climate change.

But then I have to ask myself. Why just young people Al Gore? And wouldn’t it send a powerful message around the world if you yourself took part in these actions?