Greenpeace activists block unloading of coal in Denmark

Greenpeace activists on Wednesday blocked the offloading of coal from a Panama-flagged cargo ship docked in Denmark to protest the fuel's destructive effect on the climate, the global environmental group said.

"Activists have blocked a crane used to unload the coal," the organisation's Nordic division said in a statement, adding that the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was sporting a banner "urging the Danish government to 'Quit Coal'."

The Greenpeace action began on Tuesday when a number of activists unsuccessfully tried to board the 300-metre (985-foot) Hanjin Imbari in the Baltic Sea as it carried a load of South African coal to the Enstedvaerket coal plant in Aabenraa in southwestern Denmark.

Three activists were briefly arrested and could face charges of obstructing public transport.

The action intentionally coincided with this week's United Nations climate talks in Poznan, Poland, as well as with European Union negotiations on legislation to combat global warming, Greenpeace said.

"We are taking this action because burning coal is destroying the climate," Tarjei Haaland, Greenpeace Nordic's climate and energy campaigner, said in the statement.

"We are sending a message to the governments meeting in Poznan that it's time to get serious about climate action," he added.

Haaland pointed out that Denmark late next year will host a UN climate change conference, which he described as "the most important climate negotiations the world has ever undertaken."

"Denmark must take the lead and quit coal," he said, stressing that "from the moment it is dug up through to its burning and waste, coal has devastating effects on our climate, our environment, our health and our livelihoods."

According to Greenpeace, Denmark, a country of just 5.5 million inhabitants, is the world's fifth largest importer of coal, importing and burning 8.3 tonnes of the fuel on average every year, and causing 19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.