Just Stop Oil? At What Cost?

Even protesters live in the 21st century so to expect someone to live as medieval peasants before you can protest is totally ridiculous and ignoring the point of the protests. Many of them are retired, students or taking time off work to protest. Assuming they all live on benefits and are just out for a jolly is the stuff of tabloids.

undines

I understand the extreme actions of these panicked, evangelising activists - the media have been ramping up climate crisis for a while now. If it's all over the media, someone wants us to know, and be afraid - fearful people may be easier to control and may accept taxes and charges foisted on them by those much more wealthy and powerful. Follow the money. So I'm not sure what is really happening. Clearly we must be polluting and damaging but to what extent, and where is a complicated question. I do believe our right to be effing nuisances as we peacefully protest should be respected, but I have many doubts about so-called green policies. Surely electric cars are using energy generated by the grid?? And the batteries within them cause pollution, not to mention the fact that the substances needed to make them are obtained in cruel ways that are unfriendly to people and planet. I believe people need to stay calm, weigh things up more and stop getting panicked

Do you include the UN in your group of panicked, evangelising activists? This is a quote from Antonio Guterres:
"Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning,” Guterres said. “It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C [above pre-industrial levels], and avoid the very worst of climate change. But only with dramatic, immediate climate action.” He also says that "the era of global boiling is here".
I agree that it is a complex problem, that many of the green technologies we have are imperfect, and that a lot of people are treating this emergency as another gold rush.
There are other technologies in development and different, less damaging ways of using the existing ones. What's missing is a committed, intelligent, considered approach by governments. That's where we as ordinary people can have the most impact. We need to make it clear that we want them to change their approach. Just Stop Oil! wouldn't feel the need to wake us all up if they could see that we'd all understood their message.

Good post, notreallyagran 👏👏👏

Can anyone explain why Antarctica, in 2021, recorded the coldest temperature ever?

Not a denier. But I do have a lot of questions

I forgot to mention that the low temperatures lasted 6 months

Louella12 how about the fact that the axis of the earth has shifted?
Pumping groundwater mentioned as possible cause.

ronib

Louella12 how about the fact that the axis of the earth has shifted?
Pumping groundwater mentioned as possible cause.

There was a warm period in Roman times 2000 yrs ago when the axis did shift and icecaps melted, is there any evidence that is happening now?.
Nobody can deny the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, we need to consume less, travel less, waste less.
There is no evidence whatsoever that we are doing that, in fact we are doing more of all 3.

ronib

Louella12 how about the fact that the axis of the earth has shifted?
Pumping groundwater mentioned as possible cause.

Thank you . I know very little. I try to research but my brain just fails these days!

Just Stop Oil have gone much too far this morning, invading the grounds of Rishi Sunak’s Yorkshire home and covering it black. Publicity for their cause is one thing, but invading the private property of the PM or anybody else for that matter, is just completely unacceptable.

Yes, we need to change our ways, but compared with the emissions from China and India we aren’t going to have a major effect on the climate. We need to be working towards a world-wide reduction in carbon but I don’t see that happening in time.

I still see JSO as misguided and actually damaging to the cause of reducing emissions.

Casdon

Just Stop Oil have gone much too far this morning, invading the grounds of Rishi Sunak’s Yorkshire home and covering it black. Publicity for their cause is one thing, but invading the private property of the PM or anybody else for that matter, is just completely unacceptable.

It wasn't JSO, it was Greenpeace (according to the BBC). They have a long history of 'invading' , don't they?

Sorry MaizieD, I read it on Sky, and missed that important detail.
news.sky.com/story/greenpeace-activists-drape-rishi-sunaks-2m-mansion-in-oil-black-fabric-after-climbing-on-roof-12932858
I still think it’s wrong though, whoever it is should have the book thrown at them for invading private property like that.

It’s got them publicity, but the wrong sort.

We are inFrance at the moment. driving along the ring road around Caen yesterday, there were XR slogans on several of the bridges over the road, sigh.

Oil and gas is a far more complex issue than can be resolved by sloganizing and shouting. At the domestic level many people depend on both or either for heating. At the national level it's important to have energy security as well as reducing regular use of fossil fuels and currently solar and wind do not replace gas, only making a significant contribution to electricity. And government help to replace gas and oil is miniscule when compared with the costs of heat pumps and insulation.