It’s Gonna Be A Long Summit

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum hasn't even kicked off in Sydney, Australia yet. But the moonbattery is out in full force already.  

SYDNEY (AFP) - Climate change activists staged a break-in at an Australian power station Monday as a pattern of guerrilla-style raids emerged ahead of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Sydney.

The protest came as already draconian security measures were boosted a day ahead of the arrival in Sydney of US President George W. Bush, who was expected to be greeted with a flurry of angry protests.

Four environmental activists chained themselves to a coal-carrying conveyor belt at the Loy Yang power station in the southeastern state of Victoria, just a day after a coal ship was targeted in a port near Sydney.

The power station, which provides nearly a third of Victoria's electricity, reduced output for five hours before three men and a woman were cut free by police and arrested, a spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for the activists, Michaela Stubbs, said several more protests were planned against the fossil fuel industry to highlight the need to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

The demonstrations were designed to send a message to the 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting in Sydney this week, she told national radio.

"We need to see real action now. Their non-committal, aspirational targets are completely inadequate to stop dangerous climate change," she said.

Global warming is high on the summit agenda, but host Prime Minister John Howard has revealed no attempt will be made to set binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases.

As power generation stations go, Loy Yang is one of the ones that have the least amount of energy overhead. Loy Yang is a "minehead" power plant, so transportation of the coal over long distances is not necessary, thereby eliminating the carbon emissions of transport. (Chaining yourself to a conveyor is really stupid. Had they not been noticed and the conveyor started up, we'd be reading a different story today.)