SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Climate protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group hold placards and banners as they block traffic in Elephant and Castle on November 21, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
'The Only Sane Thing We Can Do': Extinction Rebellion Swarms Streets of London to Demand Urgent Climate Action
"To those inconvenienced by the climate change roadblocks in London, we've tried all other options. The scientists have yelled at us for decades. Civilized negotiations with governments. Greening capitalism. Not enough."
Nov 20, 2018
Days after thousands of demonstrators shut down major central London bridges to demand bold climate action from world leaders, environmentalists and members of the Extinction Rebellion movement were back in the streets again on Wednesday highlighting the world's "ecological emergency" and calling for immediate steps toward the goal of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
"Standing up to save humanity from extinction is not criminal, it's the only sane thing we can do."
--Donnachadh McCarthyWhile politely apologizing for the major traffic disruptions caused by the demonstrations, Extinction Rebellion declared in a statement that "this relatively minor inconvenience could save us all from catastrophic consequences in years to come."
"I think it's going well--a little light disruption to raise awareness of the biggest threat to our future, climate change," said Josie, a 23-year-old activist from Bristol. "We need to do everything we can to spark some thoughts, plant some seeds, and also--it's just good to be part of this community--to act and resist together. We are planting seeds to grow some new ideas."
"Standing up to save humanity from extinction is not criminal, it's the only sane thing we can do," added author and activist Donnachadh McCarthy.
Aiming for "gridlock across the capital," Wednesday's demonstrations took place at major traffic hot spots in London such as Vauxhall Bridge and Earl's Court.
"To those inconvenienced by the climate change roadblocks in London, we've tried all other options," activist Hannah Scott wrote on Twitter. "The scientists have yelled at us for decades. Civilized negotiations with governments. Greening capitalism. Not enough. Sorry but we have no other option. "
Demonstrations and disruptions across London demanding urgent climate action are expected to continue for the rest of the week, culminating in "Rebellion Day 2" on Saturday in Parliament Square.
Dr. Larch Maxey, research fellow at the University of Plymouth, said in a statement that he has been "really amazed" by how effective the mass demonstrations have been thus far.
"It is clearly causing a lot of economic disruption which is what you have to do to get the government to listen," Maxey said. "In terms of reaction from people, when they hear that this is about climate change they understand. We've had so many people thanking us, even had a high-five."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Days after thousands of demonstrators shut down major central London bridges to demand bold climate action from world leaders, environmentalists and members of the Extinction Rebellion movement were back in the streets again on Wednesday highlighting the world's "ecological emergency" and calling for immediate steps toward the goal of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
"Standing up to save humanity from extinction is not criminal, it's the only sane thing we can do."
--Donnachadh McCarthyWhile politely apologizing for the major traffic disruptions caused by the demonstrations, Extinction Rebellion declared in a statement that "this relatively minor inconvenience could save us all from catastrophic consequences in years to come."
"I think it's going well--a little light disruption to raise awareness of the biggest threat to our future, climate change," said Josie, a 23-year-old activist from Bristol. "We need to do everything we can to spark some thoughts, plant some seeds, and also--it's just good to be part of this community--to act and resist together. We are planting seeds to grow some new ideas."
"Standing up to save humanity from extinction is not criminal, it's the only sane thing we can do," added author and activist Donnachadh McCarthy.
Aiming for "gridlock across the capital," Wednesday's demonstrations took place at major traffic hot spots in London such as Vauxhall Bridge and Earl's Court.
"To those inconvenienced by the climate change roadblocks in London, we've tried all other options," activist Hannah Scott wrote on Twitter. "The scientists have yelled at us for decades. Civilized negotiations with governments. Greening capitalism. Not enough. Sorry but we have no other option. "
Demonstrations and disruptions across London demanding urgent climate action are expected to continue for the rest of the week, culminating in "Rebellion Day 2" on Saturday in Parliament Square.
Dr. Larch Maxey, research fellow at the University of Plymouth, said in a statement that he has been "really amazed" by how effective the mass demonstrations have been thus far.
"It is clearly causing a lot of economic disruption which is what you have to do to get the government to listen," Maxey said. "In terms of reaction from people, when they hear that this is about climate change they understand. We've had so many people thanking us, even had a high-five."
Days after thousands of demonstrators shut down major central London bridges to demand bold climate action from world leaders, environmentalists and members of the Extinction Rebellion movement were back in the streets again on Wednesday highlighting the world's "ecological emergency" and calling for immediate steps toward the goal of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2025.
"Standing up to save humanity from extinction is not criminal, it's the only sane thing we can do."
--Donnachadh McCarthyWhile politely apologizing for the major traffic disruptions caused by the demonstrations, Extinction Rebellion declared in a statement that "this relatively minor inconvenience could save us all from catastrophic consequences in years to come."
"I think it's going well--a little light disruption to raise awareness of the biggest threat to our future, climate change," said Josie, a 23-year-old activist from Bristol. "We need to do everything we can to spark some thoughts, plant some seeds, and also--it's just good to be part of this community--to act and resist together. We are planting seeds to grow some new ideas."
"Standing up to save humanity from extinction is not criminal, it's the only sane thing we can do," added author and activist Donnachadh McCarthy.
Aiming for "gridlock across the capital," Wednesday's demonstrations took place at major traffic hot spots in London such as Vauxhall Bridge and Earl's Court.
"To those inconvenienced by the climate change roadblocks in London, we've tried all other options," activist Hannah Scott wrote on Twitter. "The scientists have yelled at us for decades. Civilized negotiations with governments. Greening capitalism. Not enough. Sorry but we have no other option. "
Demonstrations and disruptions across London demanding urgent climate action are expected to continue for the rest of the week, culminating in "Rebellion Day 2" on Saturday in Parliament Square.
Dr. Larch Maxey, research fellow at the University of Plymouth, said in a statement that he has been "really amazed" by how effective the mass demonstrations have been thus far.
"It is clearly causing a lot of economic disruption which is what you have to do to get the government to listen," Maxey said. "In terms of reaction from people, when they hear that this is about climate change they understand. We've had so many people thanking us, even had a high-five."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.