Aussie PM defends government climate policies in wake of coal protests

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday defended his government's climate policies as campaigning for the next national election ramps following a number of arrests at an anti-coal protest at the weekend.

Australian authorities arrested 66 protesters at an anti-fossil fuel protest at the New South Wales state port city of Newcastle on Sunday, 200 kilometers north of Sydney, after 1,500 demonstrators used kayaks to block the world's largest coal export harbour, while others occupied a rail bridge.

Australian environmental activist group 350.org, who organized the protest with other climate groups including Greenpeace, said climate change was an important issue to raise as Australia heads to the polls on July 2. Turnbull formally announced the double dissolution election on Sunday.

"We are putting ourselves at risk by being here today but we feel that it's far riskier to not take action on climate change," protester Jesse Kalic told local media.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Monday defended his government's climate policy, which is at odds of Turnbull's former views prior to him being dumped as the party's leader for Tony Abbott in December 2009, who later became Australia's prime minister in 2013.

"Climate change is very important. We have a good climate change policy. We are meeting our targets," Turnbull told reporters at a marginal seat in Brisbane.

Turnbull ousted Abbott in a back room party coup in September 2015, a move heralded by climate advocates who anticipated a reversal of policy that advocated for increased coal consumption. This has been curtailed by the Liberal Party's strong conservative wing upon whose support he relied on to take the party's leadership.

Both the opposition center left Labor Party, and the left-wing environmentalist Greens party have hit the ruling government's climate and environmental policies as being out of step with global trends following the Paris climate accord that seeks to limit global warming to a two-degree Celsius rise.

"For too long, this debate has been the environment versus the economy and that is a false choice," leader of the Greens political party Richard Di Natale told reporters at the weekend's protest.

It's believed Australia will need to significantly strengthen the already announced 26-28 percent emissions cut, based on 2005 levels by 2030, every five years if it is to meet the Paris accord's terms.

Deeper cuts in emmissions imply Australia will need to hasten development of renewable energy sources, reduce fossil fuel usage, including coal. Endit