Australian police arrested 170 climate change activists in the state of New South Wales during a protest from Friday through Sunday. Representing the group Rising Tide Australia, the protesters shut down maritime traffic in the Port of Newcastle, which is one of the world’s biggest exporters of coal and coal products. It is also the largest bulk shipping port on Australia’s highly populated east coast.
“It’s in a unique place, being the largest coal port in the world, exporting vast amounts of coal,” Dr. Peter Schofield, a doctor and activist at Rising Tide Australia, said in a statement. “If we can make a difference here and if we can demonstrate our commitment as a community and as a government to influencing things such that, you know, we minimize that, that can have worldwide implications.”
