Australians chain themselves to rail cars
Posted by at Jul 14th, 2008 in Climate Change
Filed under: News , Climate Change About 50 protesters recently chained themselves to Australian freight train cars and railways to oppose the use of coal to fuel the railways. As a result, 20,000 tonnes of coal from three different trains were unable to unload their shipment, bringing operation to a halt for about six hours(making the protesters quite smug, and causing the police to enact “special measures” - ie, bring in horses to control the crowd). Australia heavily relies upon coal for electricity and billions in export revenue, and boasts the world’s largest coal terminal in Newcastle. Officials say they will draft guidelines for implementing carbon emissions trading, to address climate change concerns. The pollution caused by increased coal use is harming the nearby Hunter River (and people’s lungs), and many citizens say the government is failing to properly restore mined areas.But in the meantime, the emphasis on coal is still there, and in addition to powering the continent’s electricity, the industry employs tons of decent workers, making a living for their families. It’s easy to protest coal, but it’s also important to see the other side of the industry: hard-working, decent people, many of whom have been in the coal business for centuries and do not know any other trades. Working in the mines - and on the railways - is a way of life for many coal workers, and it’s not an easy thing to strip away their jobs and livelihoods. It’s imperative that we find alternatives to coal - ones that cost about the same, are just as prevalent, and can do just as good of a job.These exist, but haven’t been implemented on such a huge scale. Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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Tags: australia, coal, coalmining
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