The study looks at how much CO2 and methane emissions the citizens and the industries inside the city borders generate every year. Hoornweg and the other co-authors base their study on 100 different cities from 33 different countries around the world. The study, titled "Cities and greenhouse gas emissions: moving forward", shows that the emissions varies greatly between poor and rich cities around the world. The per capita greenhouse gas emissions vary with more than 15 tonnes in wealthy industrialized cities such as Sydney, Calgary, Stuttgart and several major US cities to less than half a tonne in poorer cities such as Nepal, India and Bangladesh.

According to the study the top 9 "dirtiest" cities in the world are: (1) Rotterdam in the Netherlands with 29,8 tonnes per capita, (2) Austin in USA with 24 tonnes, (3) Denver in USA with 21,5 tonnes, (4) Washington DC in USA with 20 tonnes, (5) Minneapolis in USA with 18 tonnes, (6) Calgary in Canada with 18 tonnes, (7) Menlo Park in USA with 16 tonnes, (8) Dallas in USA with 15 tonnes and (9) Stuttgart in Germany with 12 tonnes per capita.

This study helps strengthen activists calls for "climate justice" to help stop the huge inequality between rich and poor nations that fuels a climate of mistrust and sabotages efforts to secure a climate deal.

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.