Massive own goal for these proteats to give that actress a platform. The assumption that’s it’s normal to fly around the world to work, protest, visit second homes whatever is what’s wrong here.

Yes good on them.
I know I am part of the problem but I try to do my bit even if not much.

Quite funny to see the English police saying they are struggling with those protests as they are not used to dealing with them.
The French police have used tear gas in Paris.

The Police have openly admitted that the protesters in London are really peaceful, nice people, hence why they’re so difficult to deal with.

That’s the thing, isn’t it, they’re just everyday people who are finally fed up of the people who are supposed to be in charge not doing anything positive. Pretty difficult to get upset at them for that.

The Police have openly admitted that the protesters in London are really peaceful, nice people, hence why they’re so difficult to deal with.

there’s a legal issue for them – they have a bunch of powers they can use if there is any violence.

but since there isn’t those power are not available so they’re quite restricted.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/apr/18/scotland-yard-defends-response-to-climate-change-protests

You were eating a KitKat, a Nestle KitKat? Walks away shaking head.
Think how much more ecologically sound you could be if you forego eating a KitKat in the first place. We’re all on the scale of hypocrisy somewhere, aren’t we.

Where did I say I ate it? I pick litter around the neighbourhood and forest and sort it. But yes, you are right, we’re all on the scale somewhere but as I suggested, every little bit done by everyone that bothers might go someway toward a solution.

Same goes with my daughter, she’s trying. Got to be better than spectating and being a part of the problem wholesale?

Yup. For years the police’s approach to these things has been to swamp the areas with numbers, and if possible to antagonise the protestors into kicking off- by heavy handed tactics, gratuitously unfair arrests, kettling, agents provocateur (I know that sounds paranoid but it’s also 100% true). None of those are working here.

Javid’s having a temper tantrum and demanding “the full force of the law” but that’s already being used. And the attempts to dismiss them all as students and crusties aren’t working too well either with all the pictures of grandma getting arrested (the people who want to believe that will still believe it of course, but there’s nothing to be done about that)

Also isn’t it interesting that one of the lines of attack has been “they’re distracting so many police away from normal policing that we can’t do the job”. Which is just another way of saying “we’ve cut too many police”. At the Tommy Robinson protest/counterprotest in Manchester they’d pulled in officers from Birmingham, Newcastle and Wales to cover it- what happens if you get a protest in Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle?

If you think having your commute delayed by half an hour is inconvenient wait til the Thames Barrier gets outmatched by weather and sea levels.

Aye, best of luck to them.

Sorry but this is just unforgivable.

View post on imgur.com

It’s ‘We’re’

It’s ‘We’re’

Unless it only happens when there’s a full moon.

If anyone has been to any of their meetings or read any of their stuff it is very impressive.  All well and good to complain about individuals not meeting your standards for what an activist should be or how they should behave but good on them for doing it.  They don’t have the solutions but they want more action on finding solutions as what is being done isn’t urgent enough.  If you don’t believe it is urgent or that all that could be done is being done then fair enough.  For me i believe the balance is too far on the wrong side of too late.

Belgium’s first action should be this weekend. Interesting to see how the police here react.

It’s an interesting one, trying to get public opinion on their side and force government action over something that although we know it’s coming isn’t having much of an impact yet on us (in the UK) and to deal with it effectively is going to need a huge change and likely cost the UK economy dearly (in the short-term at least), all that without it actually making much difference unless many many other countries enact the same changes.

Certainly the odd protest march isn’t going to be enough, I can’t see direct action being successful as the short-term pain vs long-term gain argument seems impossible to win when you’re dealing with a government working on a 5 year election cycle but I can also see it’s worth a try as you don’t want to be looking back in 20 years, stood on the beach in Birmingham wondering if you should have at least tried all those years ago

Boris offering his views – not very classy but I suspect he knows his audience…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49967784

I don’t think they’re doing a good job of getting the public onside, just winding up the travelling public in London.  When you’ve got the Russians and Chinese and USA and Canada (oil sands production) still largely ignoring the problem any attempts this tiny country make are just a drop in the ever deepening ocean.

I support the idea, even if we are way past the point of no return, but they really are preaching to the converted so they should take the protests elsewhere and try and influence the worst polluters.

Need extra training on the use of fire engines also

Not going to get very far with Johnson and his ilk, we need a strong economy, desire to do something different and the clout to influence policy in other parts of the. Johnson’s policies take us in the opposite direction on all these issues. Plus I don’t think they are getting the public on side, maybe it’s the BBC coverage I’ve seen, the protesters they interview seem to be young crusty types or slightly vague older women, people against the protests are either cockney taxi drivers or people with plums in their mouth.

Climate change is happening, it is significant but it’s nuclear Armageddon tomorrow which is the way some of the more hysterical protesters have been shown to be saying. Changing our society needs investment, long term commitment and a level headed approach. Think for example where we’d be now if we’d invested the Iraq war oil money into renewables development and installation in the UK, not worrying about the future oil wars for one thing. We need the general public to be clamoring for proper change but seeing as half the population are of a pro brexit mind set I don’t see these sorts of protest making much difference.

On a separate but related note I thought the way Unilever announced it’s intention to reduce plastics was odd, not we’re doing this for the planet but we’re doing it to be more relevant to the younger generation. Probably very true but a bit cynical and commercial when supporting the green trend was there on a plate and would have been a much more positive message for the demographic the were aiming to influence.

I saw a bunch in a local cafe the other day after an ‘action’ every one of them with a single use coffee cup with a plastic lid, even though they were drinking it indoors. For people worried about the environment their actions didn’t look all that connected to me.

“We should improve society somewhat.”
“Yet you participate in society. Curious! I am very intelligent.”

– https://twitter.com/TechnicallyRon/status/1181283665697021952

When you’ve got the Russians and Chinese and USA and Canada (oil sands production) still largely ignoring the problem any attempts this tiny country make are just a drop in the ever deepening ocean.

Just imagine if the Russians, Chinese, Americans and Canadians could see an example of a modern industrialised economy that transitioned to sustainable fuels…

An untaxed uninsured old deisel firetruck wasting 100s of litres of water and red food dye to spray a grade II* listed building doesnt really scream saving the environment to me.

what do you want her to do, swim?

Not have flown out in the first place…
Whatever her reason for being in the US why go? (It’s not like she was going to starve)

I like them.

The GF has been involved with the Friday for Future demos here in Munich since they started months ago. Sweet FA has happened. The route they march is laid out so as not to inconvenience anyone.
The government’s don’t want any disruption. Go and demonstrate by all means but don’t get in the way of people going about their day.

But in this instance it is the issue of people going about their day that is the problem.

If you want change go and make it. Block the roads and bridges.

Inconvenience people and make them see that their reliance on their cars is ridiculous.

I’m struggling to see how this:

If you want change go and make it. Block the roads and bridges.

…does this:

make them see that their reliance on their cars is ridiculous.

I’m also struggling to see why anyone thinks we can’t see that our rate of consumption is ridiculous. We all know we’re over consuming by a *massive* factor. The problem isn’t awareness, the problem is we’re not willing to stop consuming in spite of knowing the consequences.

I’m not sure what the solution to that is, but ER certainly isn’t.

I’m also struggling to see why anyone thinks we can’t see that our rate of consumption is ridiculous. We all know we’re over consuming by a *massive* factor. The problem isn’t awareness, the problem is we’re not willing to stop consuming in spite of knowing the consequences.

I’m not sure what the solution to that is, but ER certainly isn’t.

Pretty much this.

I feel fairly bummed out about the climate change issue, but I still work in the oil and gas industry and I still have a car. I like getting paid, and I enjoy cars – my selfishness outweighs my desire to do good things for the environment, which pretty much sums up mankind as a whole right now.

The human race is clever..we’ll overcome any problems to survive as a species.

The human race is clever..we’ll overcome any problems to survive as a species.

I’m not sure that “survive as a species” is a very comforting target.

It’s easy to sneer at XR, but at least they’re doing SOMETHING other than sit on their backsides waiting for shit to happen (like I’m doing).

+1 (000000000000000000000) good on them!

I’m not sure that “survive as a species” is a very comforting target.

Bang on. Going by our ‘progress’ so far, our survival will likely come at the cost of extinction of many, many other species, and the continued destruction of the planet we share. Why are we more important than all of the other species?

The human race is clever*..we’ll overcome any problems to survive as a species.

Mere ‘Survival’ is the last place prize and preferable only to extinction.

Millions/Billions could die, leaving survivors in poverty and hardship, and sure, we might eventually rebuild, but it’s not a preferable outcome is it?

Surely ‘Prosper’ is a better target to aim for? The time to do something is before, not after it all goes to shit.

*Evidence suggests not, individual people are, but as a race we’re clearly not as clever as we think if we’re continuing to shit in our own bed.

at least they’re doing SOMETHING other than sit on their backsides waiting for shit to happen

I notice you chose to write “doing something” rather than “doing something to address climate change”.

Up to £400 a week for doing yoga on a bridge?

Where do I sign up?

When you’ve got the Russians and Chinese and USA and Canada (oil sands production) still largely ignoring the problem any attempts this tiny country make are just a drop in the ever deepening ocean.

Just imagine if the Russians, Chinese, Americans and Canadians could see an example of a modern industrialised economy that transitioned to sustainable fuels…

Short of delivering fusion on a plate to them, they won’t be interested.  That and superconducting power lines.  Until then you will always need coal/gas/nuclear as a back stop for when the sun don’t shine and its a calm day.  I’d love the Severn tidal barrage to be built but not every country can have one and tidal/wave power wont work for everyone.  Even if you could generate loads of energy with coastal wave and tidal, you still have to ship it and UHVdc transmission will only get it so far into huge continental areas like Russia, China and the US.

Until then you will always need coal/gas/nuclear as a back stop for when the sun don’t shine and its a calm day. I’d love the Severn tidal barrage to be built but not every country can have one and tidal/wave power wont work for everyone. Even if you could generate loads of energy with coastal wave and tidal, you still have to ship it and UHVdc transmission will only get it so far into huge continental areas like Russia, China and the US.

TLDR; it’s hard, and won’t be perfect, so why bother?

Just because it won’t immediately be perfect or fix all the problems, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to make things better. So what if some coal/gas/nuclear capacity is still needed as a backstop? That’s better than carrying on as we are.

It won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick, If we don’t start improving things we’ll never get there.

It won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick, If we don’t start improving thingsdone, we’ll never get there.

It’s too late.

I notice you chose to write “doing something” rather than “doing something to address climate change”.

You must lead an odd little life, is trying to affect political change not doing something? What would you like them to do?

Up to £400 a week for doing yoga on a bridge?

Where do I sign up?

Here:
https://rebellion.earth/act-now/join-us/

But, you won’t of course. You’ll do nothing and moan about those doing something

It’s too late.

It’s never too late to change. Even if we can’t reverse or stop the damage we’ve done, we sure as hell can try and make sure we don’t make it worse.

If your house is on fire you try and put the flames out, and even when your house is lost, you try and stop it spreading to your neighbours, and if you can’t you at least get them out of the way etc.

It’s never too late to do something positive for the future. Never.

It’s never too late to do something positive for the future.

I don’t disagree, and I try to, but it’s too late to avoid the catastrophic consequences of climate change. The best we can hope for is damage limitation, and that won’t really kick in until people worldwide feel the damage at a personal level, and by then it’ll be reaaaaaaallly too late.

Using your analogy, we’ll be choosing which people in which houses to save.

My main thoughts about the XR mob is while the demands of a carbon neutral society is reasonable and the UK Government has committed to it, but the timescale demand is un-achievable. Added to the fact that XR have not provided any of how we can achieve the targets – just do it! As such any credibility they have with me has vanished.

They also seem to have forgotten that we do have a citizens assembly – Parliament. Chosen by the people. The problem that XR have is that those representatives are not choosing the options they want. Even with their version of a citizens assembly, there is every likelihood they the assemby would choose the ‘wrong’ option.

And they are picking on the UK Government which is already putting actions in place – any changes that we make will have minute impacts. And don’t go on about there needs to be someone who does it first, other countries will simply ignore what we do, leaveing the UK with the pain.

To change the effect of global climate change they need to get China, India, USA and Africa to wok towards reducing emissions. Not really sure that can be done.

So when they gave some answers of how to make the changes and how to get the rest of the world to join in, I’ll listen. Until then they are simply a protest group looking for their time in the spotlight.

So when they gave some answers of how to make the changes and how to get the rest of the world to join in, I’ll listen. Until then they are simply a protest group looking for their time in the spotlight.

So just do nothing. Sorted.

To change the effect of global climate change they need to get China, India, USA and Africa everyone to work towards reducing emissions. Not really sure that can be done.

Others not yet doing it isn’t an excuse to not start…

So when they gave some answers of how to make the changes and how to get the rest of the world to join in, I’ll listen. Until then they are simply a protest group looking for their time in the spotlight.

It’s the start of a process, they’re pushing for governments to start taking immediate action, they’re not proposing a single ‘fix’ to implement tomorrow, and they’re not going to be the ones that have all the answers, they’re pushing for us to start looking for those solutions, and start acting where we can. Right now not enough is being done.

It’s not about having all the answers, it’s about action over inaction.