Nearly 70 climate activists were arrested in New Hampshire on Saturday after hundreds of people descended on a coal-fired power plant—part of a series of coordinated global actions over recent weeks aimed at spotlighting the urgent threat of global warming while demanding a rapid and just transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy system.

“It’s our job to say no to coal and other unsustainable energy sources. If we don’t stand up, put our bodies in the way of them destroying our ability to live on this earth, who will?” —Barbara Peterson, Nonviolent Citizen Action

The direct action at the Merrimack Station power plant—the largest  plant of its kind in New England—was organized by a coalition of groups from throughout the region, including 350 New Hampshire, Nonviolent Citizen Action, New Hampshire Youth Movement, and Climate Disobedience.

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Those who risked arrest attempted to enter the plant via a set of train tracks and carried buckets with them in order to—at least symbolically—remove as much coal from the site as possible.

“The fossil fuel industry doesn’t care about clean air, water, and soil,” said Barbara Peterson, a protest organizer and member of Nonviolent Citizen Action, in a statement. “Their priority is profit. It’s our job to say no to coal and other unsustainable energy sources. If we don’t stand up, put our bodies in the way of them destroying our ability to live on this earth, who will?”

Lila Kohrman-Glaser, an organizer with 350NH Action, explained that the Merrimack Plant, while located in the town of Bow, New Hampshire, represents economic and environmental threats both locally and far beyond.