Climate change activists shooting themselves in the foot?

[2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney]

I had sympathy with the both the cause and actions (though not the vandalism) until today. They are now paralysing the public transport system. Isn’t the main thrust of encouraging better habits for climate change , getting people out of their cars and onto public transport.
Fact 1: people need to work
Fact 2 : most need to commute , short journeys or long.
Fact 3: protests are to promote awareness and get the people on your side.

THIS WON’T !

I wish they wouldn't keep apologising.
'I am sorry your business is suffering, but this is more important.'
'I am sorry that we have all the Police here instead of having them available to deal with knife crime, but this is more important.'
'I am sorry there is a risk that you will miss your hospital appointment, but this is more important.'
'I am sorry your ambulance has to be rerouted, but this is more important.:
They are entitled to think that it is important, but please skip the faux apology.
'

I think they are sending the wrong people into media sources to represent them .
Few of the general public in the working class masses are going to listen to a public school boy who jets all over the world on long haul holidays tell them THEY should only fly in an emergency.
Or a Dr who can afford time off work telling everyone to leave work and have fun .

People have walked to London.
Send people like that on.

There's several great bike hire schemes in london. They're not being disrupted!

The disabled people getting a cab because the can’t get on disrupted public transport probably can’t use the bike hire schemes, neither can the ambulance drivers

Hypocrisy is a charge that is always levelled at environmentalists

Totally avoidable, though; doubtless some are very sincere, but with the just-here-for-the-ruck crowd who really are behaving hypocritically, they could simply alter their own behaviour

As could we all

Vulpine my terminally ill Mum can walk a few feet from the car to the house or the bus to a venue if the bus stops outside the venue.
She couldn't walk or use a bike!

Disabled people have already posted underneath the posts saying how great it is to be traffic free saying because they can't access the tube and buses aren't running properly they are stuck.

Most of them have probably recently returned from their winter in Goa - I doubt they walked there

They are not winning many people over as the majority of us don’t have the opinions to constantly consider the planet

Does anyone know if Lily Allen's showed up yet?

She's generally to be found at big protests, eyes swivelling hungrily for the nearest lens or microphone, but I've not seen any mention of her so far ...

Probably flying back from Goa or Ibiza as we speak Puzzle

The nicely-softly-get-people-on-side approach isn't working. Our lifestyles are causing damage to the planet. They are protesting aggressively because it is only thing that may wake people up. Although there seem to be alot of people who are seriously willing to say "I care about the environment, but the way that they are carrying on is alienating me". Just an excuse to ignore and carry on as before.

To be honest it doesn't matter one jot what you say, it is your actions and those for the next 5-10 years that matter.

Thinkinghappythoughts i don't drive a car, I am scared of flying, I walk a lot despite having medical needs. If I can't the bus the one on our route is electric, I use reusable products where I can and recycle.

Meanwhile one of the lead of the protestors is a jet setter travelling long haul for pleasure ?

What, like Emma Thompson flying back from LA and "hoping to be arrested", Enthusiasm?

All we need now is for Charles to show up, blowing a gale about how "intolerable" everything is and what everyone else should do, and we've got the full set

Good old wonderful Emma can always be relied on to patronise and tell others how it should be done

Usually just the women isn’t it? Let’s hope she doesn’t get out in a cell with Big Davida then.

We walked through today - they look like they are at bloody Glastonbury but are settling in for the long term. They are looking for local beds for the night if anyone has a spare one going.

I think the media should stop giving them air time.

"This is exactly what they (we) want and the only way they can keep pushing it so that the police tell the government to sort it out, not them."

Possibly the funniest thing I've read in ages. At what point do you (they) think the government actually give a stuff about what the police say?

When Theresa May accused the Federation of crying wolf over the impact of financial cuts, did it look like she was listening to what the police say? To aim to cause maximum disruption because you know that the government cuts to policing mean that they won't be able to do a great deal is pretty shameful. Well let's hope that none of you are ever victims of crime because whilst you're doing your so called peaceful protests there are less resources investigating knife crime, burglary, child sexual exploitation, rape, murder...

I notice that the planned Heathrow disruption today fizzled out, probably linked to the fact that the police would have been unable to guarantee their safety. Afterall nothing says angry more than a family who have worked hard and saved for years to go on a much longed for holiday being thwarted by some 'civil disobedience' that isn't actually aimed at them, but at a load of suits who couldn't give a stuff.

I am concerned about climate change, but I think a lot of people feel no affiliation with Extinction Rebellion and they're tiresome antics whatsoever.

Yeah I agree. I got kicked off the non polluting electric tram in Manchester due to an anti climate change protest happening. The irony was so obvious.

Just repeating myself from the poor Emma Thompson thread: What strikes me is how some take this perceived lecturing, hypocrisy and smugness so personally. Why? And how are they such awful crimes in the greater context of the climate emergency? They're just mildly annoying, at worst. Surely cynicism, whataboutery and wilful apathy are less helpful? I for one am really grateful that there are people who are prepared to drive this issue with the urgency it deserves.
Another couple of points:
Despite people saying the demonstration is poorly timed, I believe the timing of the protest is spot on. Parliament in recess means there are no Brexit negotiations to obscure the news coverage. And of course politicians are able to follow what happens in the country despite not being in Westminster. Many of them are in London anyway, so could even pop down for for an afternoon to say hello . At the moment though, they are studiously avoiding engaging, which speaks volumes.
Someone much further upthread mentioned feeling upset that their own efforts at reducing their carbon footprint had been described (also on this thread) as 'tinkering at the edges' or 'insignificant' or similar. Can I just say thank you for your efforts. It means so much to me that so many are prepared to make sacrifices and forego things, however small, in the interest of the environment. Speaking to my very elderly MiL I am always in awe of the things people went without during the war, for the greater good. The whole country went without so much; what we're talking here, in 2019, on a personal consumer level, is small potato sacrifices by comparison: the two with the greatest impact by far being switching to a plant based diet and electing not to fly. Anything on top of those is amazing, of course. So many of the things that would help are about not doing things (not consuming and buying so much stuff), so pretty straightforward.

These replies are depressing. It looks like the only people allowed to care about climate change are those who have lived a subsistence farming/Stone Age lifestyle from birth and walk everywhere wearing clothes made from bramble leaves.

What strikes me is how some take this perceived lecturing, hypocrisy and smugness so personally. Why?

Do you mean ‘why do people have their own opinions?’ Opinions tend to be personal, even yours.

Nope, Kissing, just noticing that people are up past midnight raging against feeling lectured by a smug hypocrite. And that the accusation of smug hypocritical lecturing is being levelled at people whose primary intention is likely not to be any of those things, but rather something much more important; the climate emergency we are facing. Seems petty and odd. There is an emergency occurring (although I seem to remember from other threads that you question the veracity of this?) and some posters, instead of commenting about the real issue, which is the climate emergency, and what is being done to halt it, fail to connect the dots of the bigger picture, and elect to be offended by some perceived hypocrisy. It is a luxury to choose to take offense at someone's attitude when what is at stake is the planet.

I have to confess that I rather resent the "don't fly" message. Having not flown for ten years due to DS's severe autism, we've been able to go away on one European holiday a year for the last few years, I would go more but can't afford it and now DH is in the early stages of disability. All those years lots of people I know have been flying around willy nilly and now we've all got to stop.

I know, Davros. I have not gone 'home' (European country) for donkey's years as I haven't been able to afford it while having young children. And now my conscience forbids me . Suits DC1 down to the ground who is terrified at the idea of flying, so is relieved she won't be experiencing it.

Has a single elephant been saved from poachers or an orangutan saved from the evil people destroying their environment. No just a load of the usual suspects causing trouble.

To stop climate change humans everywhere need to stop breeding, when there are 1 billion humans the planet can recover. Won’t happen but I have no children to see the awful future