Climate activists arrested after dumping coal off cargo train in Australia

Protesters climbed on train to unload coal using shovels

Climate activists involved in the protest halt train and shoveled coal out of its wagons (Twitter/@RisingTideAus)

Around 50 climate activists have been arrested in Australia after halting a train carrying coal to protest against the exports of the fossil fuel.

The train was brought to a halt near Newcastle, a major coal export terminal in New South Wales, on Sunday morning by protesters who began shovelling coal out of the wagons.

The train remained stationary for at least four hours as security personnel tried to control the crowd.

The protest was organised by the group Rising Tide, which demands the cancellation of all new coal projects. Coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, is responsible for a majority of greenhouse gas emissions that take have global heating to dangerous levels.

Twenty protesters climbed on the train to unload the coal using shovels, while another 30 provided support, according to a statement from Rising Tide.

Police later charged 47 activists with “rail corridor offences” and released them after issuing court attendance notices.

Two activists, however, were charged with malicious damage and one with assaulting a security guard.

Rising Tide tweeted an image showing protesters on and around the train.

“We have halted coal into the world’s biggest coal port, demanding the ALP [the ruling Australian Labor Party] heed UN warnings and immediately cancel all new coal projects,” tweeted the group.

In another video, protesters are seen chanting “No New Coal” as security personnels can be seen present at the spot.

Newcastle is considered the world’s largest coal export terminal and the largest bulk shipping port on Australia’s east coast.

Despite the Labor government’s pledge to cut the country’s carbon emissions by 43 per cent by 2030, the country has not ruled out new fossil fuel projects as the climate crisis remains a highly divisive issue for the world’s largest coal exporter.

As the world continues to grapple with the impacts of climate change, demands for more action surrounding fossil fuel projects, emissions reductions and environmental policies are gaining momentum.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures are continuing to rise. They are soon expected to cross the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement.