Climate change protests
BBC News - Extinction Rebellion: Police move in on London protestersPolice move in on climate protesters
The police are quite rightly now starting to move in on these people. There comes a point when public sympathy starts to be lost, and we are approaching that.
The protesters need public support if they want to achieve meaningful change. By continuing to use tactics that alienate the public they will end up with the public supporting action to end the protests.
Also worth noting. Emma Thompson flew 5500 miles (meaning about 3 tonnes of CO2) to attend the protests. Utter hypocrite. You can spin the science however you like, but the truth is we will face radical changes to how we live over the coming decades. We might have already gone past the tipping point where we can mitigate the worst effects of climate change, but that's not an excuse to do nothing.
As I've said before, the countries that switch from a carbon based economy to something greener will be well positioned to be able to cope with the changing climate and economic impacts that will bring.
Protest wise ? This is only the start of the protests. I expect we'll see more happening over the next few months all over the world. Except their demands are totally impracticable. "Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025"
So what does that require in the UK?
Zero Carbon Britain suggests building 130,000 100-metre tall wind turbines to power the UK (in an area over twice the size of Wales)
In the rich world in particular, zero carbon would usher in a period of huge social change. Energy would be stringently rationed, dedicated to survival and essential activities; we’d go to bed early and rise with the sun. Expect massive disruption in the way food is grown, processed and distributed – more turnips, fewer mangoes on the menu in the UK for starters. Globally, there would be much-reduced private car use, virtually no aviation, haulage or shipping – spelling a dramatic end to material globalization as we know it.
What if...we reduced carbon emissions to zero by 2025?
Can't see much public support for that...
Add to the above the requirement for everyone with gas central heating to convert to electrical heating within 6 years. Or is that covered by going to bed early as it would be too cold to be anywhere indoors but under a load of blankets... Tell all those protesters that they will lose their iPhones and then watch their enthusiasm disappear... If the protesters want the general public on their side this is not the way to do it. I doubt the protests will come to much, if even if they were achievable no Government is going to bow to demands such as the above from a mob, to do so would set precedent.
Could authorities could be maing more effective progress ? maybe but thats a different subject really. https://www.avforums.com/attachments/upload_2019-4-20_18-45-53-png.1142186/ https://www.avforums.com/attachments/upload_2019-4-20_18-48-25-png.1142187/ I have been reading a bit about the protests. Some decided to make their point by supergluing themselves to trains. So how, exactly does disabling a mass transit system improve the environment ? or does it just mean loads of people either had to walk or get taxis, through the traffic.
There were also pictures in the media of a pink boat that they took to London, no doubt on a nice big diesel burning truck..
Article from 6 months ago: Extinction Rebellion is a wannabe Marxist revolution in disguise | Coffee House
I'm even less impressed with their antics. Police should have moved in from day 1 but as usual, our namby pamby state wouldn't allow it.
Tear gas and rubber bullets would have moved them along pronto data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Send them across to China or another one of the worlds top polluters and let them protest there. Violence to achieve political ends is terrorism isn't it?