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Climate Change Protests - will they make a difference?

(792 Posts)
crystaltipps Wed 17-Apr-19 08:28:34

There has been so far 3 days of climate change protests in Central London and other locations. They’ve disrupted traffic and inconvenienced a few, but have been in the main peaceful and has had a festival atmosphere. It looks like these protests will continue. Personally I feel climate change is a really important issue and should be the one that our esteemed politicians should be acting on and discussing but they aren’t. I’m in no way part of this group but, with some reservations, applaud their efforts and hope it does bring the issue to the fore. It does highlight how far our police resources are stretched that they can’t be stopped though. If you don’t live or work in the capital you probably don’t care about the protest , but hopefully you do care about the issues, and these protests it may be coming to a town near you. What do others think?

Gonegirl Fri 19-Apr-19 17:32:53

Just wondering what an elastic band powered plane has to do with the demonstrators Gillybob.

crystaltipps Fri 19-Apr-19 17:38:15

I certainly don’t live a perfect life, but don’t think that means I can’t want action for change, even if it’s uncomfortable. Draconian measures may be necessary which won’t be popular but government has got to wake up to the climate emergency. There are deniers who don’t admit that human activity has anything to do with it( i.e. it’s all natural). Maybe us older people who can remember life without so many cars, cheap air travel, plastic everything, can show that life is possible, if less convenient, without every luxury on tap.

gillybob Fri 19-Apr-19 17:39:05

Just wondering whether I should bother to answer you Gonegirl hmm and have decided probably not .

Callistemon Fri 19-Apr-19 17:42:28

I think most of us on here can remember that too.

I think our government is probably more aware than many around the world but still can learn from some others.

Again I will repeat - just because I may not agree with this method of protesting does not mean I do not think that action is required.
Perhaps these thousands of people may have done better spending the Easter weekend litter picking and recycling the rubbish - and getting film crews to follow them as they did that, showing what a filthy country we now live in.

Grammaretto Fri 19-Apr-19 17:50:17

We in the so-called developed countries are far bigger consumers of world resources than those in poorer countries. It should be us controlling our population rather than those who maybe have bigger families.
And fewer pets!!

I saw hundreds of fields full of horses and fields full of daffodils whilst in Cornwall. We don't eat either.

Gonegirl Fri 19-Apr-19 17:56:22

At least this area of central London must contain some of the richest businesses and residents in the country. I wonder just how many workers in that area are on zero hours contracts. And how many jobs really have been lost.

How can I get that information?

Mycatisahacker Fri 19-Apr-19 17:57:31

joelsnan

Population explosion is a very good point and a very hard issue to tackle with balancing religious and cultural norms. You are quite right it is the elephant in the room.

I hear offen about draconian measures needed but as your lasso on the demo suggested we have to ration air travel while he’s outed as jetting around the world on daddies cash.

‘We are all in this together’ usually means the working classes are punished and the rich the celebs and the politicians are not.

This demo has shown this exact issue. Punished the poor.

TerriBull Fri 19-Apr-19 17:58:11

Good suggestion Callistemon re. your last paragraph. I also hate seeing our environment and countryside being littered by thoughtless people who just don't care.

Callistemon Fri 19-Apr-19 18:03:48

How many earths do we need? This may not be perfect and may be out of date, but it gives an idea:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33133712

Jabberwok Fri 19-Apr-19 18:05:37

You can actually live a HAPPY life without half the things we deem so important. Been there, done that with perfect contentment!

Gonegirl Fri 19-Apr-19 18:08:35

Anyone know the answer to my question? I would be really interested to know where the information can be found.

Gonegirl Fri 19-Apr-19 18:11:43

Can we be sure that litter picking up (which many people do anyway) is more important than bringing environmental issues and demands into the public arena?

Sparklefizz Fri 19-Apr-19 18:26:15

I notice in the photos of the protesters that many of them have plastic water bottles and carrierbags! I say no more. confused

sodapop Fri 19-Apr-19 18:28:35

Funny you should say that Grammaretto we have been out for lunch today and
steak a cheval featured a couple of times on the menu. Not on my plate I hasten to add.

Gonegirl Fri 19-Apr-19 18:30:26

Hopefully they are finding places to refill their water bottles. Everyone has to drink.

Joelsnan Fri 19-Apr-19 18:32:33

Grammaretto
^We in the so-called developed countries are far bigger consumers of world resources than those in poorer countries. It should be us controlling our population rather than those who maybe have bigger families.
And fewer pets^

Its not just food that every new member of the world needs.

There could be a real 'religious' argument surrounding this as most religions have promoted breeders and killed non breeders who may be amongst us for an environmental balance purpose but this is now skewed.

TerriBull Fri 19-Apr-19 18:34:34

I'm sure litter picking up and raising awareness of environmental issues could be done simultaneously with a bit of organisation, particularly now Emma's at the helm in the midst of London on her pink boat declaring that "we are here in this little island of sanity" I can't imagine she could possibly mean the island of Britain per se, which she deemed a miserable cake filled grey place, or words to that effect at an earlier juncture. Anyway it's also heartening to hear that "if she could fly cleanly she would" If only good intentions could be turned into reality.......sad where's the magic Tinkerbell dust when you need it!

Sparklefizz Fri 19-Apr-19 18:37:46

Gonegirl Hopefully they are finding places to refill their water bottles. Everyone has to drink.

Unfortunately the photos show many discarded plastic bottles and single-use coffee cups so although "everyone has to drink" as you say, many of these protesters, including Emma Thompson, are hypocrites.

TerriBull Fri 19-Apr-19 18:44:11

Just seen on the BBC news the French protesters are getting sprayed with pepper spray hmm they didn't say whether they were using black of pink peppercorns, not that one wants one's mung beans, soya milk over peppered. Nasty!

eazybee Fri 19-Apr-19 19:29:24

They have dismantled the pink plastic boat; hope they dispose of it responsibly, and Emma Thompson too.

Gonegirl Fri 19-Apr-19 19:33:57

grin Shame about the boat. It was such a pretty colour.

Mycatisahacker Fri 19-Apr-19 19:36:48

I fully expect the scene when vacated to be a Glastonbury squalor of single use tents, plastic water bottles and human waste.

I really hope not but I think it will be so.

All police leave has been cancelled so many families are without mum or dad this Easter.

Many thousands on zero hours contracts are worrying about how to pay the rent and bills this week. They couldn’t work.

Still as long as the protesters are having a good time that’s fine. They will have a lovely jolly and return to their lives safe in the knowledge that they are financially secure with careers that pay you when you are off sick/on holiday or you don’t actually care anyway as you are a student of middle class parents. So life is bloody good.

And of course it’s all on your FB/Instagram so all your friends know how woke you are.

Its a wonderful life.

GabriellaG54 Fri 19-Apr-19 19:42:16

I suppose environmental scientists work soley in the UK as it would be massively hypocritical to be jetting to other countries in order to investigate flooding.

Mycatisahacker Fri 19-Apr-19 19:47:38

Gabriella

grin

Callistemon Fri 19-Apr-19 19:50:32

Terribull grin

and others who have put this into the perspective it deserves.
This is a challenge for the world but this is not the right way to go about it.

Shame about the boat yes, it could have been used to get across the Atlantic for the next jaunt that Emma Thompson wants to take.