Climate Change Protests - will they make a difference?

Peacefully campaigning against extinction is a middle class marker. The middle classes are partly defined as being composed of individuals who take public duties seriously enough to act. Middle class individuals tend not to excuse themselves from undertaking public responsibilities.

Alexa
blaming the messengers
Too right.
We in the UK cannot possibly be unaware of the messages put forth in news and social media...unless you live in a cave on an island without recourse to any outside involvement.
We know, only too well and don't need a reminder from people who choose to use and enjoy the fruits of the actions they want us to curb.
Look at the mess they left/leave.
Follow them go.e to see if they too use low energy bulbs, grow their own veg, don't eat meat, don't use plastics or drive cars and recycle their clothes etc....
If you believe that the majority who demonstrated, live lives committed to saving the planet, you are sadly mistaken.
They'll still be munching takeaways and flying abroad and driving cars and using far too much water and energy and buying the latest iPhones, believe me.

go.e home

Do you all remember the public info films of the 70s?

I think it would be a good idea if these could be revived to help people understand climate change and make positive changes to their lives in small ways? I don’t know anyone agree?

Unfortunately I do think these mob tactics are counterproductive to be honest.

As far as I remember, mycatisahacker the coalition Govt. removed the funding for public information films to save a few quid. I agree with you that they would be a good idea and would show a willingness on the part of the UK Govt to take climate change seriously.

Why do people have to above reproach before they are allowed to demonstrate Gabriella ?
Surely if that were necessary no-one would do anything to try to change the world.
Small steps.

Grammaretto
It's my immutable position that the vast majority of protesters do not do anything of note to ameliorate the influences of emissions and all they encourage us to curb. They are IMO, typical hypocrites.
Small steps are not enough
Do you really think that using a reusable bottle and hessian bags but doing nothing else, is going to have any effect?
One single car journey wipes out any gain many times over.
You have your view and I have mine but I can safely bet that I am much more 'green' than the vast majority on here.

Mine was the first response to this thread and I am returning to it having been offline since Thursday morning.

It is depressing to find with this thread having run to 19 pages, Gabriella is still having to make the point that I made then.

No-one is asking every demonstrator to be a 'sea green incorruptable', but when the issue is so personal to everyone of us and the deadlines they are setting for government and the absolutism of their demands are so extreme. It does really seem very reasonable to expect that those demonstrating will in their own lives be living all the urgency they see in the issue.

I will really believe they see the issue to be as desperate and as urgent as they claim when they mount a demonstration in Tien Mien Square.

The more I think and read about Extinction Rebellion the more convinced I am that they are mainly a rentamob of comfortably off anarchists looking for a cause that sounds good.

That is total rubbish Monica. My GS who is one of the demonstrators tells me that there are people of all ages and social classes there. And they are all completely committed to the cause. You don't know what you are talking about.

And as for the Tien Mien square thing, that is so ridiculous.

Why should a schoolboy who believes strongly in protecting, and rescuing, this planet risk life and freedom by demonstrating in China.

You don't expect much do you?

Yours was an idiot post.

Why don't you go into London and talk to some of them before spouting garbage on here?

And if the thread depresses you, don't bloody read it.

This is the dilemma though isn’t it?

Either each individual is prepared to take responsibility in their own lives for protecting the planet or we have to be prepared to give governments the power to make changes and enforce a more eco friendly life style for all of us.

Or we just carry on doing what suits us as individuals regardless.
How do you reconcile “I care passionately about the environment “ with “I must have my takeaway and bottled water.”

It’s a genuine question. I’d like to hear a genuine thought process.

Didn't someone say that when you resort to insults and name calling you have lost the argument.

Did they oldwoman? I guess on Gransnet I have lost the argument. Only to be expected really.

Are you asking the question or putting forward a fact? If the latter, then the first four words of your comment are superfluous.

Umm is that for me gg?

What argument? We all want the same result don't we? I'm just saying that to nitpick about someone's credentials as an entitled protester is a waste of energy.
They are following their consciences. We may think there is a better way to make a point but is it any more valid?

Except everyone following their own conscience doesn’t really work does it?

Most people can find reasons for doing what suits them.

Gonegirl I said mainly, and I should have made it clear that I was referring to the core organisers.

However, I do think anyone supporting a cause that wants zero emissions by 2025, should be now themselves be leading an as close to zero emission life as they can possibly manage, regardless of age or social condition.

I would also like to see ER produce a policy plan that shows how this can be done. It would require every dwelling not already running on electricity to change to that by 2025. All road transport to be emission free by 2025, every single industry we have, to convert to electricity, probably requiring some industries to scrap and replace machinery costing tens of millions of pounds. All ships and planes coming into the country to run on electricity.

It would also have to show how we could install sufficient emission-free power plant to meet the hugely increased demand for electricity. Wind turbines are fine but they only work when the wind blows and despite how many wind turbines we have and how widely around these isles they are distributed the amount of power they generate varies enormously, from 30% on some days to 5% or less on others. A winter syncline over the British Isles, temperatures below feezing, clear sunny skys, and no wind blowing can and does reduce wind power to single figur production of power. What emission free source will the rest come from?

Anyone doubting this, I suggest they do what I do and check gridwatch.co.uk/ . At 17.51 precisely the UK is getting 35% of its power from renewables: 16% from wind, 14.6% from solar, (on a hot sunny day, less when it is cloudy and even less when days are long and cold) and 4% from biomass. In an hour or two when the sun goes down solar will drop out completely. What emission free technologies (other than nuclear) can we use to bridge the unreliability of wind and solar and the diurnal pattern of solar?

How can this change of equipment and huge demand for new power resources be acomplished? How much will it cost? Who will finance it? and how many extra tons of emissions will be created doing it?

If a cause as radical as this comes forward with aims like this, which most people consider impossible to do, it needs to come out with clear, detailed realisable plans on how to do it, written with consultation with mainstream experts in each field and reputable economists and financial experts to do the economic and financial calculations.

To launch a campaign like this without a very solidly supported plan on its feasibility, smacks to me of rentamob and I am grieved to see so many idealistic and well-meaning people sucked in to support it.

That's very true. There is no argument. I don't like insults being flung at Extinction Rebellion, because my grandson is a member, and I know how sincere he is with this.

But there is no point in continuing to discuss this with the bulk of GNrs. So, I'm off.

Btw they had a standpipe off of the mains to refill their water bottles.

Crossed posts there

Other governments are managing to set targets for zero emission vehicles sooner than those proposed by our government. Our government needs to be shaken up.

Eglantine I think you are unnecessarily hard on people. There are many people who make considerable personal sacrifices to follow causes their conscience tells them are right.

Unfortunately, too many of these (though not all) feel that where their conscience drives there is no need to study the facts as to the rationality or possibility of where their conscience takes them.

I could start up a campaign demanding zero emissions by the end of 2020. Why not? All of us, in our conscience, knows it is essential we do it so as soon as possible, so why not make it as immediate as possible? the practicality of this, like the practicality of doing it by 2025 can go hang. But it gives me such a warm righteous glow because my conscience leads me there.