Throughout the last week and into this week, the climate change protests facilitated by Extinction Rebellion have dominated our news. So far, over 1000 of their members have been arrested and it doesn’t look like they’ll be stopping any time soon. They’ve been the topic of many a conversation I have had, and it’s been interesting to see the divide between friends and family: on the one hand, some have argued that the activism is actually having a negative impact as it is aggravating the public rather than encouraging them to join in the movement, whereas others have argued that disruptive action is needed if anything is going to get done.
All this talk about our inevitable extinction got me thinking, and it brought me to a rather bitter conclusion: we care, but we don’t care enough… or at least the majority of us don’t. A pill I have found very hard to swallow.
Unless you’re one of those weirdos that chooses to disregard scientific facts and not believe in climate change, I would assume that most reading this understand that it exists and that it is negatively impacting our planet. If asked about our planets demise, I’m sure you would most likely say that it is horrendous and then cite one of the many David Attenborough episodes that have recently aired. Don’t get me wrong, I love David Attenborough and I think it’s great that people are backing Earth. However, what we say and what we do tends to be very different.
Please don’t think this is some kind of lecture, as I’m just as guilty as most, but whilst nearly all of us will want to reduce the speed at which our home is heating up, we’re probably not taking the necessary actions to do so. Whether that’s because we’re eating meat, not eating meat but buying imported food, going on multiple holidays, using single-use plastic when shopping, the list goes on. Now I am not a naïve fool, I know it is unrealistic to expect everyone to radically change their lives freely, I also think it’s great that many people are making positive changes, even if they’re small. Yet if the statistics are to be believed, we are currently experiencing an international emergency that we all seem too scared to face up to, and small changes just won’t cut it.
Personally, I feel that there are only two ways we will realistically take the steps we need to save what’s left of our planet. Either we will get to the stage where our lives are threatened (a scenario many in the global south currently face) and we have to make changes in order to survive, or those who hold the power and money in the world decide to make a stand. This takes me back to my first paragraph. There are definite problems with the Extinction Rebellion protests: they are isolating themselves from large swaths of the general public, especially with some of the vandalism they’ve taken part in, and it seems hypocritical that they’re disrupting public transport. Nonetheless, much to my shock, I do understand their motive and support their protests. The Government need to listen and something needs to be done if we have any hope of our children and grandchildren growing old.
Nevertheless, even if something does pass through Parliament, those who value democracy will argue that the legislation needed to alter the path we are currently on, impinges on their personal freedom. Therefore, as a species, we need to make a decision: how much of our liberty are we willing to sacrifice for the survival of our planet. How much would you be willing to sacrifice? Would you happily give up that trip to the Caribbean? Would you complain if your favourite fruit is no longer stocked in the supermarket? What about your Sunday roast no longer containing meat? Whilst they seem menial for now, they are all questions we will need to start asking ourselves sooner than we think. We need to stop hesitating. Our planet is not playing chicken with us, and even if it was, it will looks as though it will win.
Think, Thought, Thunk 