Personally, my day ruined by #ExtinctionRebellion as I dashed around London on Wikileaks related stuff and lost a couple of hours to transport disruption.
But this is what it takes to jolt people from complacency to see the existential threat we ignore. Many congrats to them.— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayOrg) April 17, 2019
We wrote this week about the massive Extinction Rebellion protests that shut down London traffic in an effort to push the UK government to “tell the truth about climate change”, reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025, and create a citizens’ assembly to oversee progress. There are also satellite demonstrations happening in the United States as the movement gains more traction overall. While many people undoubtedly were angered by the disruption of their commutes, former British diplomat Craig Murray had an incredibly refreshing take. Instead of tweeting profanity at the protestors he thanked them for stopping him and making him think.
Why This Matters: Even in cities where the population tends to be better educated and more liberal, people acknowledge that climate change is happening but don’t devote much time to thinking about its implications or how they can act to make a difference. Protests that jam up city traffic might have to become the answer to jolt ourselves awake and face the dire urgency of climate change. Thanks to Craig for giving us the reminder to pause, listen, and think before we get angry.
April 18, 2019 » #ExtinctionRebellion
