The crew of the Rainbow Warrior kicked off a month long "Quit coal" tour around south-east Asia today when they blocked a coal shipment at the Pagbilao coal-fired power plant in Quezon province, south-west of Manila.
The Warrior anchored alongside the coal ship Medi Firenze at the plant's loading pier, effectively preventing both it and another ship, the 223 metre Sam John Spirit, from unloading their cargos. A giant "Quit coal" banner hanging from her masts drove home the message that the Philippine government should stop building and expanding harmful coal-fired power plants.
Local communities are protesting against a planned expansion of the power station as part of growing opposition in the region against the increasing use of coal as an energy source. The Philippines is among the countries most vulnerable to rising sea levels, more frequent cyclones and other devastating effects from climate change. The coal plant's planned expansion would mean an additional 5 million tons of climate-wrecking carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere every year - double the plant's current production.
Across the Philippines communities are starting to take action, realising that dirty energy is directly responsible for the impacts that are ravaging their homes and livelihoods. Two days ago Brando Sael, vice-governor of Albay, the Philippine province most ravaged by storms and mudslides in recent memory, took an important step by declaring his province a "no-coal zone".
"The Philippine government should take Albay's declaration as an urgent call to action against climate change. It is untenable to continue our dependence on coal given its increasing price in the market and the environmental impacts attached to it. Coal will actually exacerbate our energy insecurities," said Greenpeace climate campaigner Jasper Inventor. "The Philippines should send a strong message to Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to lead the way in phasing out the use of coal."
As environment ministers from the G8 prepare to meet next week, with climate change heading their agenda, the message from the Philippines is clear: we urgently need an energy revolution away from the use of climate-damaging coal, which must become the fuel of last resort.
