Hundreds of protesters stuck their heads in the sand on Australia's famous Bondi Beach on Thursday (November 13) to protest against the government's climate change policies, as world leaders arrived in the country for a G20 summit.
More than 400 people turned up at the Sydney city beach in response to the reluctance of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's government to put climate change on the agenda of a G20 summit this weekend, according to the non-profit organization '350.org Australia',
Protesters said Abbott's failure to address climate change is all the more galling in the wake of an agreement between the United States and China on Wednesday (November 12) to limit their carbon emissions.
“It's a critical issue and Australia is well off the pace on climate change, so every little bit of action like this helps,” said one protester.
The event's organizer, solar power entrepreneur Eden Tehan, said in a written statement published by 350.org Australia that he was “embarrassed by the government's inaction on climate change and refusal to support renewable energy.”
People with babies, school children, and working people in business suits dug holes on the beach and stuck their heads in them.
“Just thought it was something easy enough to do and, I don't know, let our voice be heard, and to gather with one's friends, and it was fun, so we did it,” another protester said.
The ostrich is said to stick its head in the sand in futile bid to avoid danger. Ornithologists say the African bird does no such thing but that didn't spoil the cheeky protest.
The protesters at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach wanted to let the world leaders know that Abbott's view did not represent the view of most Australians, Tehan was quoted in the statement.
“The G20 starts this weekend, and we thought it was a pretty humorous and potentially powerful message to send to our government that this is really what we think of your policies at the moment. The world is acting, and we're sticking our heads in the sand,” Tehan told reporters on Thursday.
Abbott reportedly called climate change science “crap” in 2009 and said coal was “good for humanity.” Australia repealed a tax on greenhouse gas emissions in July, the only country to reverse action on climate change.
The climate change protests came ahead of a G20 leaders' summit to be held in the city of Brisbane, located about 900 kilometers (560 miles) north of Sydney, on Saturday (November 15) and Sunday (November 16).
REUTERS