☠️ Extinction Rebellion: Climate protesters block roads

[RE]

Don't miss tomorrow's Collapse Morning Wake-Up Call, "The Extinction Conundrum!

RE

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[knarf]

Banksy, the famously anonymous street artist, appears to have lent his (or maybe her) talents to sounding the alarm about the climate crisis.

A new mural showed up in central London near Hyde Park on Thursday night, and a Banksy collector thinks it’s legit. The mural depicts a young girl with a just-planted seedling who’s holding a tiny sign bearing the symbol of Extinction Rebellion, a new group using civil disobedience to draw attention to government inaction on climate change. The words alongside it say “From this moment despair ends and tactics begin.”

The child is stenciled on a concrete block at the Marble Arch landmark, where Extinction Rebellion protestors had recently set up camp. Over the past week and a half, activists have barricaded roads and bridges across London, demanding that the British government set a target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. More than a thousand of them have been arrested in the nonviolent protests.

Banksy has not yet confirmed that the mural is authentic, but the artist has created artwork about similar themes, like rising seas and sooty air, before.

Back in 2009, for instance, Banksy depicted a classic climate denial statement — “I don’t believe in global warming” — sinking into the water of a canal in north London.



Another Banksy artwork last December took on air pollution. Painted on the corner of a garage in Port Talbot, one of the most polluted towns in the U.K., it looked like a kid enjoying the snow. Until you see around the corner, when it becomes clear that the “snow” is actually debris from a flaming dumpster.



https://grist.org/article/it-looks-like-banksy-just-created-an-extinction-rebellion-mural/

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[RE]

Off the keyboard, microphone & camera of RE

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Published on The Doomstead Diner April 28, 2019

Audio Only:

 

(audio-only MP3 provided in case you want to multi-task and listen while sitting in traffic on the way to work in your cubicle or digging post holes for your fencing on the Doomstead or kneeling by the throne and Praying to the Porcelain God.  mp3 Audio can be downloaded from Diner Soundcloud.)

 

Discuss this Video at the Collapse Morning Wake-Up Call Table inside the Diner

 

 

Extinction has moved from the dark corners of the Collapse Blogosphere into the consciousness of the mainstream.  Just a few short years ago the discussion of human extinction was relegated to a few fringe websites, but not so anymore.  Now it has become Topic #1 in the discussions on many websites that concern themselves with topics of collapse.  Sometimes this comes to the exclusion of many other collapse related topics in economics, geopolitics, energy and social psychology that are impacting more directly right now.

Generally my focus over the years has been on the economics and energy end of the spin down we are immersed in, and I don't dwell too much on the issues of extinction.  However, here on the Diner we have treated the subject to analysis on a few occasions, most notably the Human Extinction Survey, which we ran a couple of years ago.  It garnered the most respondents of any survey we have run at around 350 submissions until recently, when our Collapse Projections Survey brought in responses from over 600 Kollapsniks.  The extinction survey also inspired a month long email stream between various bloggers and pundits which was quite interesting.

I generally tend to avoid extinction discussions though for a few reasons.  First, I have discovered over the years that it attracts a certain type of reader/commenter who is often nihilistic, misanthropic and sometimes suicidally depressed.  The blog becomes consumed with the discussion of the topic while more proximal problems get ignored.  Who cares if the monetary system is going to crash if we're all gonna die anyhow, right?  It also sometimes inspires people toward counter-productive behaviors.  If we're all destined to inevitable death here no matter what, let's just Party like it's 1999!  It leads to inaction on problems we still can have an effect on as we move forward in collapse.

The timeline question becomes very important here, because if extinction is indeed going to happen, when will it actually occur?  If it's in the next 5 years say, that has one set of problems and responses, if it's going to happen in 50 there's another set.  Nobody can really finger this accurately, it's all speculation but some true believers hammer down on anyone who doesn't buy the whole ball of wax on Near Term Human Extinction (NTHE) is in denial and shooting up too much Hopium.  Amongst this crowd, hope is a bad thing to have.

Recent events however compelled me to discuss this subject in detail, which I do in today's Collapse Morning Wake-Up Call.  The first is the rise of the Extinction Rebellion movement, which recently held a week long series of often very theatrical demonstrations in London to raise consciousness and hopefully get some real ACTION out of governments to combat this problem, which looms larger each day as more climate related calamities strike in more places with incresing ferocity and frequency.all over the globe.  The second is a corollary issue of Population Overshoot, and the fact that many Millenials are now choosing to remain childless, for one reason or another.  What kind of difference will this make to our society as time marches on here?

All in all, Extinction is a difficult conundrum to deal with, a Wicked Problem.  Hopefully I clarify some issues with this discussion, or at least lay out my position on where I stand on these issues.

 

Save As Many As You Can

 

 

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[knarf]

absolutely NAILED IT.! i THOUGHT YOU WERE SENSIBLE ( WHICH IS SORELY NEEDED ) OPPS CAPS OFF, and told the truth about how we don't know how fast or slow the climate will change, nor that every one and/or everything vanish. I really liked your presentation, alot!   

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[RE]

absolutely NAILED IT.! i THOUGHT YOU WERE SENSIBLE ( WHICH IS SORELY NEEDED ) OPPS CAPS OFF, and told the truth about how we don't know how fast or slow the climate will change, nor that every one and/or everything vanish. I really liked your presentation, alot!   

Thx Knarf.

I give a lot of credit to you for waking ME up to the Extinction Rebellion movement quite some time back.  That's why I dropped this thread on your Newz Channel.  At the time I wasn't too enthusiastic about the movement, because of the less than pleasant interactions I have with Extinction True Believers in the past.  However, the goals and the methodology these folks are pursuing is sound, and they are starting to gain traction, so it was time to address the subject.  I did that rant BTW with no script.

Besides all that, they have a GREAT logo!  I spruced it up some with symbolic colors. 

RE

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[AJ]

You did a good job on the overview of XR. My personal take is a little bit more toward NTHE than you. I think Jim Bendell and Paul Beckwith are now saying about the same thing McPherson has been saying all along. I think the science is backing them up a little more also. You've been watching this so long I'm not sure you have seen the shift in climate science to more doom?? I like the audio presentation, that way I can listen while I work on the garden.
AJ

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[RE]

I like the audio presentation, that way I can listen while I work on the garden.
AJ

That's why I provide the audio-only version with the downloads.  Besides, we have a separate set of followers on Diner Soundcloud, 220 over there.  They don't watch the vids either.  So far we have 25 Listens and 3 Downloads on DSC.  For the Vid, we have so far 82 views on DYT, where we have currently 362 subscribers.  This is just in ONE DAY, and with no Special Collapse-Famous Guest!  Just me doing the solo rant. 

I may actually start to get popular! 

RE Superstar of Doom

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[knarf]

MPs have approved a motion to declare an environment and climate emergency.

This proposal, which demonstrates the will of the Commons on the issue but does not legally compel the government to act, was approved without a vote.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who tabled the motion, said it was "a huge step forward".

Environment Secretary Michael Gove acknowledged there was a climate "emergency" but did not back Labour's demands to declare one.

The declaration of an emergency was one of the key demands put to the government by environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion, in a series of protests over recent weeks.

Addressing climate protesters from the top of a fire engine in Parliament Square earlier, Mr Corbyn said: "This can set off a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the globe.

"We pledge to work as closely as possible with countries that are serious about ending the climate catastrophe and make clear to US President Donald Trump that he cannot ignore international agreements and action on the climate crisis."

Dozens of towns and cities across the UK have already declared "a climate emergency".

There is no single definition of what that means but many local areas say they want to be carbon-neutral by 2030.

Some councils have promised to introduce electric car hubs or build sustainable homes to try to achieve that goal.

It's a much more ambitious target than the UK government's, which is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050.

Read more here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-politics-48126677

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[knarf]

Welcome back to the newsletter! It’s been an unbelievable few weeks since our last official issue. Since April 15 we’ve been doing our best to keep up with the blistering pace of events in our daily updates, but from now it’s back to regular service – we hope you like our 20th newsletter!

Before anything else, we’d like to extend a heartfelt welcome to the many ‘green’ rebels who’ve joined us recently. A feature common to the many actions below has been seasoned rebels (by now pretty tired!) receiving invaluable support – be it emotional, technical or numerical – from fresh new colleagues.

It might not make headlines, but this vibrant new energy could be among the past few weeks’ most important developments: local XR branches across the UK are reporting double or triple attendance (Bristol, for example, rocketing from 140 to 300!) London actions are implausibly well-peopled, and this newsletter is reaching twice the number of readers!

There’s plenty of more obvious good news, though – most prominently Parliament’s declaration of climate and environment emergency. The preceding debate seemed almost self-evident – of course politicians would be taking such an urgent matter seriously – but even months ago it was a very different picture. Eagle-eared rebels will also have noted an influx of XR-related themes and language, from the declaration’s ‘and environment’ to the building talk of Citizens’ Assemblies. Make no mistake – this would not have happened without us.

Before we scuttle the Pink Boat and cross Demand One off our list, a note of caution: Parliament may have followed the lead of Scotland and Wales, but the UK government at large is still a long way short of ‘telling the truth’. We’re not done yet.

All the better, then, that in the preceding week we’ve been meeting with high-level government officials (see below), which also makes now an unusually good time to pile in with petitions. At the same time we’ve been showing off our stamina and keeping up the pressure with actions all over London, from swarming in the City to supporting the amazing Colne Valley protesters (also see below).

For all the excitement, there’s now a general move towards a regenerative, resting phase: the London office is almost empty in evenings (beyond the odd newsletter-writer!), and set to remain quiet through next week. This very much applies for the Media and Messaging team, who are under strict orders to take it easy. It’s with this in mind that we’re happy to bring you another bumper crop of regen resources: for arrestees, for people who’d like to show some love to arrestees, and indeed for everyone.

Not that it’s all quiet: even as many in XR UK get ready to rest, XR at large remains seriously active. The weekend saw simultaneous mass die-ins led by XR Berlin and joined by thousands of rebels across over fifteen countries, with yet more international actions in the course of the week. Upcoming international antics include an International Mother’s Day March and a Global Strike for Future (see below).

As the dust settles and the fumes rise again, it’s clear that we’re in a new chapter of XR’s incredible journey. If you’d like to get more involved, please check out our simple guide. If you can’t spare time, but can donate money instead, please see our fundraiser page.

You can check out upcoming events on our website here. Or create your own event by filling in our talks and trainings form!
For previous newsletter issues, please see here – or for the story of the International Rebellion as told in our updates, see here.
Contents

    Political Progress
    Recent Activity
    Upcoming Activity
    Act now
    International Highlights
    Announcements
    News & Recommended Content

LONG

https://rebellion.earth/2019/05/03/newsletter-20-parliament-meets-our-first-demand/?preview=true&link_id=1&can_id=d4e96a888a65b26abfffc48652b2e679&source=email-newsletter-20-parliament-meets-our-first-demand&email_referrer=email_540864&email_subject=newsletter-20-parliament-meets-our-first-demand

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[knarf]

Newsletter 21 – The New Normal: Eco-action sweeps the globe



Welcome to our 21st newsletter!

One month on from our wave of International Rebellion, and the ripples are still being felt.

The environmental narrative has been irrevocably changed: public concern is at an all-time high, with a clear majority of UK voters now backing (comparatively) radical action. The shift of consciousness is spreading fast across the world, with regional governments in New Zealand today joining the British Parliament in declaring a climate emergency.

Our message is also resonating in the cultural world, with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts pledging to prioritise the issue, and the UK’s new poet laureate doing likewise. Revolutions don’t get televised, but maybe rebellions do?

It’s getting increasingly difficult to cover all the amazing work that’s being done in one weekly newsletter. From our continued and staggering growth, both in terms of membership (60,000 new rebels since April 15, and ever rising!) and scope (welcome XR Hong Kong!), to our many policy impacts (‘Runway 3 or not runway 3?’), XR shows no sign of slowing down.

There’s no doubt that we’ve made incredible progress, and there’s no doubt we’ve earned a bit of a rest. But, while we hold regeneration as paramount to a sustainable movement, we’re not looking to rest on our laurels. Even less so in a world where plant-growth is under threat due to the rapid extinction of pollinators, as revealed in a recent, damning UN study. 1 million species face extinction, but some even bigger numbers expose government and corporate priorities: a recent IMF report has calculated $5.2 trillion in fossil-fuel subsidies worldwide.

We have every right to celebrate the progress achieved in the non-violent fight for ecological justice. Next week’s Global Climate Strike serves as a welcome reminder that the (de-)central cause of XR is one shared and furthered by so many others. We’d encourage rebels all over the world to join and support next week’s action. Same goes for so many brilliant initiatives like those of Ende Gelände, Reclaim the Power and Zero Hour, all happening later in the summer.

As for Extinction Rebellion: this rebellion is only beginning. Though the regeneration and debriefing process continues, there are already plans for a number of major actions over the coming months, leading up to the next major Rebellion period in early autumn. In the meantime, groups are encouraged to continue taking autonomous Extinction Rebellion actions, in accordance with our aims and values.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can help, please check out our guide.

To connect to rebels in your local area, get in touch with your nearest XR group. If there’s no active group near you, you can start your own! Stay up to date with local upcoming events here, or start your own event by filling in our talks and trainings form!

If you can’t spare time, but can donate money instead, please see our fundraiser page.

If you’d like to help us organise on a national level, we could use your skills in all sorts of areas from writing to tech to ideas to logistics. To join the effort enroll in ‘XR University’, a buddy scheme for integrating new rebels into the ranks.

If you’re new, or haven’t fully got to grips with everything XR, have a read of this to get to know our history and the principles and values that guide our work.

If you’ve been forwarded this newsletter and would like to sign up the mailing list, you can now do so here!

Contents

    Recent Activity
    Upcoming Activity
    Act now
    International Highlights
    Announcements
    News & Recommended Content

Very long

https://rebellion.earth/2019/05/16/newsletter-21-the-new-normal-eco-action-sweeps-the-globe/?link_id=1&can_id=d4e96a888a65b26abfffc48652b2e679&source=email-newsletter-21-the-new-normal-eco-action-sweeps-the-globe&email_referrer=email_545489&email_subject=newsletter-21-the-new-normal-eco-action-sweeps-the-globe

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[RE]

I sent them another invitation to do a video interview.  No response to the first invitation I sent out a couple of weeks ago.

RE

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[RE]

For those of you interested in contacting the Extinction Rebellion movement, contact information is:



This is the official source for news about Extinction Rebellion.
Read press releases, get updates, watch video and download images.

Email: press@risingup.org.uk

Phone:
+44(0)7986671716 | +44(0)7561098449 | +44(0)7944894190 | +44(0)7802865819

Website: www.rebellion.earth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellion/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExtinctionR
#extinctionrebellion #rebelforlife

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/extinctionrebellion/

Photos/videos:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m1v7Cs8JFkDM1gHp45OF-NwwhLzPZJO8


RE

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[knarf]

Cilmate protesters held a demonstration outside Heathrow Airport on 19 April

Extinction Rebellion activists are threatening to shut down Heathrow Airport with drones.

The climate change protest group vowed to stage a one-day demonstration in June and then 10 further days in July - unless the government cancels plans for expanding the airport.

Ten days of protests across central London in April saw 1,130 people arrested for various offences.

Heathrow Airport said the plan was "reckless" and could "endanger lives".

Extinction Rebellion said it was in talks with its members about carrying out "nonviolent direct action to ensure Heathrow authorities close the airport" on 18 June.

It said it would "act to shut the airport down for up to 10 days from 1 July" if the government does not cancel all Heathrow expansion.

The plan to use drones was revealed in a leaked consultation document shared between group members.

A Heathrow spokesman said: "This is reckless action that if carried out could endanger the lives of the travelling public and our colleagues.

"We agree with the need to act on climate change, but that requires us to work together constructively - not commit serious criminal offences just as hard-working people prepare to spend a well-earned holiday with their family and friends."

Aviation Minister Baroness Vere warned that any illegal activity "must be met with the full force of the law".

She added: "Flying drones near an airport is a serious criminal offence and using drones to deliberately put people's safety at risk carries a maximum life sentence.

"No government has done more to reduce carbon emissions and Britain is at the forefront of global efforts to tackle climate change."
Image copyright Reuters


The Met Police said the protests in April cost the force 'an extra £7.5m'

Last month in central London the group's tactics included asking volunteers to deliberately get arrested to cause maximum disruption at roadblocks on Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.

Demonstrators also protested at Heathrow but did not cause disruption to flights.

A small group of mostly teenage activists briefly unfurled a banner near a tunnel which leads to Terminals 2 and 3 as several police officers watched on.

It was announced in January that police would be given new powers to tackle the illegal use of drones, after hundreds of flights at Gatwick Airport were disrupted by drone sightings in December.

Last year the government made it illegal to fly a drone above 400ft (120m) or within 1km (0.62 miles) of an airport.

The exclusion zone will now be extended to the current Air Traffic Zone around airports, which is approximately a 5km (3.1 miles) radius, with additional extensions from runway ends.

Endangering the safety of an aircraft is a criminal offence which can carry a prison sentence of up to five years.



https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-48470623

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[RE]

This will be a difficult action to pull off, now that it is known in advance what ER intends on doing.  These aren't ultra high tech military drones, they're likely typical consumer level drones.  Slow and basically sitting ducks in the air, you could take them out with decent rifle or shotgun like a flushed pheasant, but I doubt the "authorities" will set up that primitive.  They'll have ground level radar and probably low power lasers to use.  The on the ground controllers can't be that far away either, they are vulnerable to almost immediate arrest.

How many Extinction Rebels with enough money to at the very least sacrifice a fairly expensive drone and then also get charged with a pretty serious crime are out there?  If they put up 10 drones, they are done in a day, max.  100 drones, maybe 2 or 3 days.

Not a real good choice of theatrical protests, IMHO.

RE

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[knarf]

This will be a difficult action to pull off, now that it is known in advance what ER intends on doing.  These aren't ultra high tech military drones, they're likely typical consumer level drones.  Slow and basically sitting ducks in the air, you could take them out with decent rifle or shotgun like a flushed pheasant, but I doubt the "authorities" will set up that primitive.  They'll have ground level radar and probably low power lasers to use.  The on the ground controllers can't be that far away either, they are vulnerable to almost immediate arrest.

How many Extinction Rebels with enough money to at the very least sacrifice a fairly expensive drone and then also get charged with a pretty serious crime are out there?  If they put up 10 drones, they are done in a day, max.  100 drones, maybe 2 or 3 days.

Not a real good choice of theatrical protests, IMHO.

RE

Yep, you have made some very good points. I agree it is kinda "dumb". Not good for their powerful influence aim.

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