Greenpeace blocks Arctic coal mine

October 5, 2009

On Oct. 2, the environmental activist group Greenpeace blocked the coal mine Sveagruva on Svalbard, protesting plans for more coal production in one of the world's northernmost regions, reports Reuters. More than a dozen protesters stopped a conveyor belt at the Svea mine (Sveagruva) carrying coal to a ship due to sail to Portugal with 70,000 tons this past weekend. "Coal is a huge climate change factor yet Norway wants new mines in one of the most pristine regions in the world," said protester Martin Norman. Sveagruva used to be the third-largest settlement in the territory (after Longyearbyen and Barentsburg), with a population of about 300. Now around 310 workers live in Longyearbyen, and travel to Sveagruva for work on either daily or weekly basis. There ar

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