Climate activists, including scientists, are arrested in protests at private airports

More than a dozen protesters, including scientists, were arrested on Thursday at private airports in the United States, coinciding with similar actions around the world to highlight the toll of private jets on the environment, activists said. The protesters temporarily shut down the main entrance to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, and also picketed at airports in North Carolina, California and Washington State. They were joined by protesters who took similar actions at 13 other private airports in 12 other countries, activists said. Climate activists have taken part in several high-profile stunts recently. In October, they flung mashed potatoes on a glass-covered Claude Monet painting, “Grainstacks,” at a German museum. The $111m painting was not damaged, officials said. Activists in Britain and Italy recently glued themselves to art. The action on Thursday included climate scientists, a small sign that researchers have become more willing to take a more forceful public stand on climate change given the increasing clarity of the science, said Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. “Five years ago, the majority view was that it was unacceptable to be an activist and to speak out if you were a scientist,” he said Thursday. “I think the majority view now is you probably should be doing that because the science is so frightening.” Dr. Kalmus was arrested on Thursday on a charge of misdemeanor trespassing at a private jet terminal at the Wilson Air Center in Charlotte, N.C. He was among four people, including another scientist, who were arrested as part of the protest at the Charlotte airport, he said. A representative for the airport declined to comment about the matter.<br/>