Environmentalists hold banners and placards during an anti-coal demonstration in Sydney on August 13, 2009. (Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images)
About 20 kayakers, supporters of the Friends of the Earth's Six Degrees campaign, are taking to the water at Luggage Point, opposite the coal terminal near the mouth of the Brisbane River.
They hope to prevent the coal ship, Formosabulk No.4, which had planned to depart for Taiwan today carrying 90,000 tonnes of Queensland coal, from sailing.
Spokesman for the group, Bradley Smith said the Formosabulk No.4's load was equivalent to 180,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
"While Premier Bligh expands our coal industry and increases our economic dependence on coal, it is clear that she is not taking climate change seriously," Mr Smith said.
"We want to know why the Queensland government won't plan to break Queensland's coal addiction and transition to a sustainable economy?
"Globally, coal is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change.
"Despite this 21 new mines are under development in Queensland and exports are planned to double by 2030."
He said every coal ship that left Australian shores was "another nail in our climate's coffin".
