For the last five days Blockade Australia (BA) has been coordinating聽disruptive actions across three major ports聽to protest Australia鈥檚 lack of action to deal with the climate emergency.
Brad Homewood, who blocked the Port of Melbourne, said: 鈥淭his system is doing exactly what it was set up to do, extract and exploit with a callous disregard for all forms of life. You can鈥檛 solve a problem with the same thinking that created it; we can鈥檛 vote our way out of this mess, the system cannot fix the system.鈥
Darsh Rasborsek, who blocked two lanes leading into the Brisbane Port, said: 鈥淭he current economic and political structures here are incapable of making the kind of change needed to ensure a safe future. We have had decades of science warning us, but the evidence is right in front of us 鈥斅爁loods, fires, droughts, heat waves 鈥 despite everything, global emissions continue to rise.鈥
Grace, a conservation graduate from Ngunnawal and Ngambri country,聽climbed on top of a mountain of coal stopping the world鈥檚 largest coal port in Newcastle.
鈥淧oliticians aren鈥檛 going to suddenly wake up; there is no magic formula of words that will make them want to change things,鈥澛爏he said.
鈥淭he more I understand about conservation the less exciting learning about ecosystem becomes 鈥斅爄t is totally heart breaking knowing how quickly everything is dying. Once you know how quickly everything is dying it makes no sense not to act with urgency like I am right now鈥β
鈥淓ngaging in direct action like this makes a clear statement that we won鈥檛 be messed around. We are doing this because it鈥檚 necessary for survival and necessary to avert mass extinction.鈥
BA said the acts of resistance are a reminder that the operation of聽Australia聽refuses to act on the climate crisis and continues to be a driving cause of climate collapse by extracting and moving exploited resources around the world through ports.
A BA spokesperson said:聽鈥淲ithout mass organised civil resistance, Australia and its allies will not stop organising the exploitation of this planet.
鈥淪ustained action that shuts down centres of political and economic power is the only effective means of forcing the political change required.鈥
Several activists have been arrested.