Avonmouth Coal Terminal Banner Drop

Avonmouth docks targeted for international day of climate action
12 October 2010

This morning activists from Bristol and Bath Rising Tide dropped a banner reading 'Import Coal: Export Poverty' from Avonmouth bridge near the docks, as part of a global week of action for climate and environmental justice.

The Royal Portbury Docks contains one of the largest coal import terminals in the UK. There are currently plans to build several new coal power stations in the UK, and 71% of coal used in Britain is imported.

Tracy Jones from Rising Tide said “Fossil fuel extraction devastates communities, from villages destroyed by floods in Pakistan to land grabs in Colombia, and is being resisted around the world. The failure of the Copenhagen climate summit shows that governments have their hands in the pockets of corporations and cannot be trusted. It's up to ordinary people to take direct action to stop climate chaos.”

October 12 – 16 is the Global Minga in Defence of Mother Earth, an international week of action for climate and environmental justice called by indigenous peoples from the Americas, social movements and allies around the world. Further actions are happening in London this Saturday at the Crude Awakening, which people from Bristol will be attending.