We are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Life on Earth is in crisis: scientists agree we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown, and we are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making.
The evidence is clear. This is not a bunch of eco-hippies yelling about going vegan and hugging trees. Really damning and frankly terrifying reports have been written by:
The United Nations (https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/)
The Bank of England (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-47965284)
The UK Government (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584281/uk-climate-change-risk-assess-2017.pdf)
The international Journal of Science (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-02409-7)
I think that you will agree that these reports are about as serious and dispassionate as it is possible to be, but they all include such warnings as sea level rises that will inundate low lying coastal cities, extreme weather as the norm, large areas of the planet that will be unable to grow food crops, serious risk to food supplies, climate driven mass migration of populations, mass civil disorder, and mass extinction of species.
Unless you are either a lunatic or base your entire outlook on 'instinct' or 'gut feelings' rather than peer reviewed science (and many of our world leaders do, unfortunately, fall into these categories), then I would hope that you would regard all of these as 'bad things to be avoided at all costs'. Unfortunately, most of our Governments, despite knowing full well what needs to be done; are doing the exact opposite. In the UK, we are opening up new fossil fuel fields in the north sea, giving out licences for fracking, ending support for renewable energy options, expanding roads and airports, and giving massive taxpayer subsidies to fossil fuel companies (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/23/uk-has-biggest-fossil-fuel-subsidies-in-the-eu-finds-commission)
Faced with all this, what should we do if we care about the future of life on earth, and the well being of our children? For most people the answer is 'nothing'. Maybe you think that the Government has the best interests of us all at it's heart, and that they will 'do' something. A few of us (and our numbers are growing) have given up hope that the Government care about anything other than their short-term political interest or pleasing their hyper-rich donors. We have decided to take action. Action born of love and rooted in non-violence, but action that will create enough disruption and headlines that Government is FORCED to act. Many of us have spent decades lobbying, going on marches, or shouting at the TV; but a new movement has distilled decades of experience into a movement that is capable of bring the change that is needed. Extinction Rebellion is that movement.
Extinction Rebellion has only three demands. https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/demands/
1) Tell the Truth.
Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2) Act Now.
Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3)Beyond Politics
Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.
That's not so hard, is it?
And we are prepared to risk arrest by creating enough disruption so that we HAVE to be heard. That's the key. Personal sacrifice through non-violent action. If enough of us are prepared to ACT, then change is inevitable.
For me, the question is not 'can I afford the consequences of my actions'? (ie arrest, a criminal record, fines and legal costs), but rather 'Can I afford the consequences of NOT acting'? (ie runaway climate change and mass extinction!)
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