A nine-boat protest armada led by the Rainbow Warrior has arrived at Britain's most controversial power station.
Dozens of climate campaigners from around the world are now on the jetty at Kingsnorth in Kent and are attempting to reach the site of a planned new coal plant in a heavily defended security zone to hold a sombre and dignified ceremony for the victims of climate change. Guards are trying to stop them entering the power station, while police boats are intercepting the flotilla.
A team of six are attempting to occupy a small concrete island owned by Eon in the shadow of the power station. Using a projector and a biodiesel-powered generator, they will beam images of climate change disaster onto the plant throughout the night. They will also beam the words ‘GORDON BIN IT' - the slogan they attempted to paint down the smokestack last year before a police helicopter delivered a high court injunction, forcing them down.
The new plant, proposed by German energy giant Eon, would emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined. The Greenpeace volunteers are carrying the flags of those nations, including Cameroon and Mali, and will attempt to plant them on the site earmarked for the construction of Britain's first new coal-fired power station in decades.
The demonstration comes a month after six Greenpeace campaigners were cleared by a Crown Court following the shutdown of the Kingsnorth power station. A Maidstone jury concluded the activists were justified in shutting the power station because coal is such a significant contributor to climate change.
This lunchtime two of the Kingsnorth Six are part of part of the team occupying the island.
Ben Stewart, one of the Kingsnorth Six who was acquitted last month and who plans to spend the night with a team of several others projecting onto the chimney from the island, said:
"We're projecting images of climate disaster onto the power station all night because a new coal plant here would be a huge blow to the fight against global warming. A new Kingsnorth would emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined, and destroy any chance we have of persuading China and India to stop building coal plants. Coal is the most climate-wrecking form of electricity generation yet invented, that's why we scaled the chimney last year, and that's why we're back. We have to stop Eon building a new Kingsnorth."
The new Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband is expected to make a decision on whether or not to permit the new plant within the next few months. A coalition of development charities, environment groups and scientists is demanding that the government blocks Eon's plans.
Once the Greenpeace campaigners reach the site of the proposed new plant, they will read out the evidence given by NASA director Professor James Hansen and Inuit leader Aqqaluk Lynge at the trial of the ‘Kingsnorth Six.' They will then plant the 30 flags in the ground.
The Rainbow Warrior will attempt to stay moored to the Kingsnorth jetty all night. John Sauven, Greenpeace's executive director, is on the ship. He said:
"Kingsnorth is one of the most important climate change decisions any politician faces anywhere in the world right now. If the government gives Eon the green light, it will be saying to China and India that we can have another century of coal burning, with profoundly dangerous implications for our climate. But if it says no to coal, Britain could then embrace a clean energy future, creating tens of thousands of green collar jobs and a new manufacturing base, whilst also slashing emissions."
Earlier this week the directors of groups including Oxfam, the Women's Institute and Tearfund (with a combined membership of four million) boarded the Rainbow Warrior to sign a declaration committing themselves to stopping a new Kingsnorth. Although Eon claims the new power station would be less polluting than the present one, it would emit about eight million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the same as the existing plant. For that reason scientists from across the world are opposed to a new coal plant at the site.
Greenpeace press office: 020 7865 8255.
Download the Greenpeace ‘case against coal' at www.greenpeace.org.uk/caseagainstcoal.
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