Newcastle port climate protest halts coal shipments

Newcastle port climate protest halts coal shipments
Climate activists disrupt operations at Australia’s largest coal export hub, forcing multiple arrests and delaying shipping. Operations at one of Australia’s largest coal export ports were set to resume on Monday after a Newcastle port climate protest disrupted shipping for a second consecutive day, the port operator confirmed. The protest highlights the growing tensions in Australia over climate policy and the nation’s reliance on coal exports. The Port of Newcastle, located 170 kilometers north of Sydney in New South Wales, is the largest bulk shipping port on Australia’s east coast and a key node in the country’s coal industry. It was brought to a near standstill as climate activists paddled kayaks into the shipping lanes on Sunday morning, violating a designated exclusion zone in the harbor. According to the climate activist group Rising Tide, hundreds of protesters participated in the demonstration, aiming to draw attention to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and the broader cli…