To risk arrest for protesting about the climate emergency?

[medicellen]

I have recently taken part in climate protests with Extinction Rebellion but have stopped short of activities that would lead to an arrest.

I am a scientist and it has been beyond doubt for some years that the climate emergency is accelerating.

And yet, global carbon emissions continue to increase. Our government is granting new licences for fossil fuels, whilst oil companies rake in massive profits. This is utter madness (aka "collective suicide" according to the lead of the UN).

I have an 8-year old son who says one day he might like to have children. I have avoided saying that this may be either not possible or not desirable due to the state of the climate by then.

Petitions, campaigning, pleas, marches have failed. In my mind, the only option left is civil disobedience. Mass arrests advanced the causes of suffrage and civil rights and I am now contemplating arrest as the only meaningful contribution I have left.

COP27 (like those that went before it) is just an opportunity for politicians to burn a load of kerosene in order to preen their egos on the world stage

I know, DdraigGoch (in fact I think I said something similar upthread), but considering this issue has always been pretty obvious it didn't seem to stop her attending the last two

Really, though, it was the suggestion that others were attention seeking - and from Greta of all people - which amused me

De La Rue, Swan, and Edison worked by candlelight and oil lamps as they developed and refined the electric light bulb.

Benz, Diesel and Ford made use of horse drawn carriages to commute while engineering the car.

Bessemer relied on cast and wrought iron tools and equipment while developing his process to produce cheap, high quality steel that revolutionised structural engineering.

In the same way, some of those who are trying to campaign for and create a cleaner, greener future may have to rely on things that aren't particularly environmentally friendly.

Engaging with the world as it is doesn't disqualify you from trying to make it better.

Is there the flight you're going to glue yourself. Go on, I think you should do it. Go quickly. I don't care what that particular flight is carrying. Many others carry important cargo. But I really think it would be a good idea. You'd be famous. In the papers and everything. An eco hero. Before you went to prison that is. But all in a good cause isn't it 💪🥇

@Thebestwaytoscareatory There’s no “have to” about taking lots of foreign holidays. and I’m a bit sceptical that holidaying in Nepal is going to advance the cause of a greener future as you seem to be suggesting with your comparisons.

These things don’t suggest genuine concern to me, or at least not enough concern to take any personal action which requires a sacrifice. Perhaps it’s more about the “adrenaline rush” mentioned in the article.

Someone did it. In 2019, as per the link further up the thread. I'm sure that you're going to tell us all that the flight was carrying a cure for covid (the virus that no one had heard of at the time) or something.

How would I know what the flight was carrying? I could find out. But I don't care that much. Although I believe they went to prison didn't they? If so yay. You can join them.

Why should I? I've no plans to do anything illegal. I just said that if the OP is insistent upon taking direct action that she should target it towards the actual polluters instead of Joe Bloggs on the M25.

Great. Glad to hear you're not planning to disrupt the road network 👍

Whatever gave you the impression that I was?

Hi everyone - we've had to remove several personal attacks on this thread - such posts break our Talk guidelines. It's fine to disagree with each other, but please keep things civil. Posters who repeatedly break guidelines may have their accounts suspended.

Bit of an odd message Becky; the last deleted post is three days old.

@LemonAndLimeTree I know a lot of climate activists. Some of them have travelled widely in the past; none of them do so now.

@Grumpusaurus and @clairethewitch70 what makes you think the op doesn't also do those things? I'd say it's highly unlikely someone considers risking arrest to combat climate change before trying other options, such as buying a bamboo toothbrush, avoiding packaging etc. And pretty much every climate change protester I know is also involved in several positive schemes as well.

@borntobefairlymild that’s good to hear.

I was quite impressed at the video of two Ukrainian women disrupting a Russian event at COP27. That's the sort of protest I approve of.

Frankly COP conferences are greenwashing pantomimes at the best of times, but giving the Russian state a platform when their warmongering activities contribute tens of millions of tonnes of GHGs to the atmosphere is taking the piss.

@borntobefairlymild and what impact is buying a bamboo toothbrush going to have on climate change?

@Daftasabroom zero, nilch, nada. Someone else was asking why the op didn't just take positive action, such as buying a bamboo toothbrush, rather than considering being arrested. I was just pointing out that they've almost certainly tried lots of things before getting to this point.

Ah, okay