Pass me the bucket...

Oopsminty How dare you suggest that we tell third world countries not to do as we do.

What on earth are you talking about? Do some research on the impact on developing countries.

We are all blustering away with outrage.

Why don't these people go to China? India? Russia? Even Germany? We know why. Because if they were cavorting around in China or India or Russia they'd be rounded up and arrested.

We are not doing too badly with carbon emissions as you can see. However, we're so full of ourselves we end up involved in some absurd song and dance in London.

It will achieve nothing. And cost a small fortune in policing.
And cleaning. My son had the misfortune of having to pass these people and the litter is absolutely appalling. But hey, I'm sure they've had lots of fun.

www.ucsusa.org/global-warming/science-and-impacts/science/each-countrys-share-of-co2.html

Anyone remember that great Joni Mitchell song where we say goodbye to the bees and put up a parking lot? The Jack Kerouac novels, Big Sur particularly where the people living in a cabin in the woods built a 1000 year table because of the disdain for the consumer society in the USA. We had less consumerism here at that time because we had less disposable income.

I've not used pesticides in the garden, try to buy organic, buy wooden toys rather than plastic, try not to waste food/clothes/etc. So I sympathise with the aims of Extinction Rebellion.
I don't sympathise with them dancing along the streets, stopping folks getting to and from their work. I do wonder though if the protests and Greta hadn't emerged and become noisy, whether the politicians would take notice.

Mr T' doesn't believe in climate change of course, so that's ok.

They are protesting in other countries oopsminty. It's global.

China? Russia!? India?

For 2 weeks?

I know Berlin and pretty sure, India. I don't know how long for. I expect you could find it on the net.

It’s a spurious and vacuous argument to say “ why don’t they go to China”? Answer: they are not Chinese and don’t live there. How would they get there? Who would pay ? They live here so are protesting here. We don’t do enough. We could do so much more with a bit of political will.

“*These fools*” many of them could write a 500 word essay and more. Just a sweeping generalisation that they are all fools for caring about the environment shows a closed ,
Mind who cannot grasp that some people genuinely care about the degradation of the planet.

Agree with Iam64 at 20.00.

youtu.be/ILOXzGt560M

Iam64

yes I have also been environmentally aware since the 1960's and lived my life as carefully as I can.
Yet I don't feel happy about the demo but not sure why......
I have spent my whole life not using chemicals, and caring for the planet and I despair that even now many think it is a joke.
The book Silent Spring was published in 1962 and I can no longer hear a dawn chorus despite living in what is termed a village in a rural area.
It vanished so time in the last 4 years.
I still feed the birds and plants flowers for Bees. As well as doing what else I can but I have been shocked that even now people dispute what is happening or just ignore it.

Flippin 'eck gillybob! How many times ?

Gonegirl who do you think you are ? How very rude. I’m not a child at school you know .

You might think it’s good and clever that people can’t get to their jobs or hospital appointments etc. I happen to think it’s despicable.

We don’t often hear a dawn chorus either pinkquartz but it’s because where I live we are almost overrun by blasted seagulls (rats with wings) .

Oh Gillybob. I don't understand you. I was joking. Why does everything have to be so heavy?

I will try to stay away from your posts from now on. Shame, and disappointing, but there. x

Well if that suits you than please do .

You were not joking Gonegirl you just think you can say what you like and then play the “I was only joking card” exactly like you did on a thread the other day, well I’ve enough so just avoid me in future . No problem

XR may be obsessing the westminster media bubble but the wider public isn’t taking much notice.

We all ‘get’ the climate issue but frankly, which of us are giving up our summer holidays or cars? Not even the campaigners themselves.

What I don't understand is given these protestors came from all over the country, why do they travel to London? Why don't they raise the awareness of the good people of Milton Keynes, Tiverton, Wrexham, Falkirk etc etc do their protests in their own neighbourhoods? Or simply picket parliament, it's the MPs have the power, not Joe Bloggs trying to go about his lawful activities.
Even committed scientists say the 5 year time scale to get down to zero carbon is unrealistic. XR are like children stamping their feet, making demands, and with absolutely no idea how any of it can be achieved. Shouting "just do it" doesn't come up with answers. I don't think there are many people who disagree we need to act now, and we need to accelerate what we do. Not agreeing with XR's demonstrations shouldn't be taken as not caring.

I still agree with Gabriella because as she says, when the ‘luvies’ drop in, it actually turns me completely off. None of us like being preached to by those who seem to want to ‘be seen’ at all the latest demonstrations. To be honest, from my point of view, the demonstrations would be much better off without them. The subject of climate change and carbon footprints is far too important to be reduced to which celebrity has been seen, having just flown in on the latest jumbo jet.

Excellent post janipat.

Because they wouldn’t have so much fun staying in their own home towns janipat and they would miss out on seeing all the bandwagon celebs . I wonder how far they all collectively walked to be there ?

Would anyone take them seriously enough if they stayed in their own towns? Their numbers would be diluted which would completely miss the point.

I don't agree with all their antics but we can't dismiss the efforts of those who care passionately about climate change issues by saying we don't spray our gardens with insecticides or drive gas guzzling cars. It's not enough.

Having said that, I'd like to have their guts for garters if they leave their litter behind.

Which they probably will. ?

merlotgran Greta Thunberg stayed in her own town and got noticed. It's only recently she's become a star, and that's just one young girl.

crystaltipps I agree with much of what you have said except for hats off to ER.
I think they are going about all this the wrong way. Those rich celebs could perhaps be supporting people with innovative ideas on alternatives to plastics, fuel; bringing the message to countries where pollution etc is threatening the planet eg China, India, Brazil.
Litter picking by the side of our filthy roads?

Governments will do little to stop them, they will just use this as an excuse to tax the ordinary people more but not necessarily use the money for schemes for producing cleaner energy.

Near here a dam project has been shelved which would ensure enough water was available to enable farmers to continue to grow fruit and vegetables and also produce hydro electricity for the area.
One factory nearby is now using a by-product to produce it's own electricity thus becoming self-sufficient.
The Swansea project was abandoned in Wales.

We need positivity, not negativity and stopping people to get to hospitals is just going to upset and antagonise, setting sections of the population against others.

The right message but the wrong methods. Antagonising the public and setting sections of society against each other is not the way to achieve results.
Telling the public "we are going to disrupt your lives" as ER has said here will only polarise opinion.

Lead by example, celebs; preaching a way of life to others but not putting it into practice yourselves just makes you a laughing stock.

its

This self-correct is annoying.

I agree 100% Callistemon antagonising joe public with your hypocritical ways achieves nothing for the celebs, or even XR.

For goodness sake get real, with really obtainable objectives. I'm 100% sure that an awful lot of the XR protestors don't have a clue about how to go about reducing our carbon footprint, but hey don't let facts get in the way of a good time. Don the outfits, don the placards, just don't ask for reasoned debate. Slogans rule!

Anja on this and other threads you seem to be under the impression that anyone who questions ER, Thunberg or their methods is not concerned, not interested in reducing their own carbon footprint and do not care about any of the forward thinking which is happening by those working towards these aims without fuss or fanfare.

This is simply not true.