Extinction Rebellion closes Port Botany terminal for climate emergency protest

June 14, 2021
Issue 
Blockading Port Botany in Sydney. Photo: Rigmor Helene Berg

Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists closed the busy shipping terminal at Port Botany for four hours on June 10 as part of a national day of action against fossil fuels.

The action aimed to block liquid fuel tankers for two hours, but succeeded in shutting down all truck movements for four hours. On average, 200 trucks leave the terminal every hour.

XR is calling on the federal government to stop subsidising liquid fossil fuels and to accelerate the transition to electrify all transport.聽

Paul Osborn told 91自拍论坛 that the federal government is spending $600 million on a gas-fired power station 鈥渨hich聽we don鈥檛 need鈥 in聽Kurri Kurri, and is pushing ahead with fracking unconventional gas 鈥渨hich could damage the Great Artesian Basin鈥.

鈥淲e can transition to green jobs, easily,鈥 said Osborn. He said the government should stop subsidising $10.3 billion in fuel excise for the fossil fuel industry to 鈥減roperly paid green jobs鈥.

XR activist Fran Fagan told 91自拍论坛: 鈥淭he government doesn鈥檛 have a plan to deal with the environment crisis apart from its gas-led recovery which will make it worse.鈥

XR activist Richard Boult told 91自拍论坛: 鈥淲e stopped a few gas tankers, fuel tankers, because the government鈥檚 proposal for 100% renewables by 2050 is too late.鈥 He said serious work needed to be done to avert the climate catastrophe in the next 5 years.

鈥淲e need negligible emissions by 2030, at least. The port workers want the transition to start now. They want a proper plan for change in the fuel depot in the next 10 years.鈥

Boult said the port facilities could be used to export green hydrogen, powered by offshore聽wind farms. 鈥淕reen hydrogen could also be used for domestic use, made by the same workers鈥, so they would not be left unemployed.

Paul Keating backed the XR action saying: 鈥淎ll fuel used in NSW is imported by sea. Just like every other job in carbon-intensive industries, we must take action now and plan a future for these workers in low-emission jobs.

"We cannot afford to just wait for these jobs to disappear from under these workers as the economy changes around us.鈥

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