Drivers entering Bournemouth today were greeted with a new welcome sign as activists draped banners over the existing “Welcome to Bournemouth” and “Safe Journey” messages. The message for inbound traffic read “Welcome to Extinction” while the outbound message read “No Safe Journey to Climate Chaos” .
The action was part of a nationwide protest by Extinction Rebellion announcing the start of a rebellion and protesting government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency. In the south west, banners, placards and billboard messages were displayed in over 60 locations on key routes into the region, in town centres and on seaside piers. The high visibility locations included the M5 and M50 in Gloucestershire, the M3 in Hampshire, the A303 through Wiltshire and Somerset and the A30 and A38 through Devon and Cornwall.
The action comes in the wake of a series of studies which show that scientists worst case predictions for climate change are being exceeded while even progressive nations are failing to cut emissions fast enough to meet the Paris agreement targets. In June, the government’s Committee on Climate Change (CCC) warned all departments to prepare for “a minimum 2°C rise in global temperature with consideration of 4°C.” The Paris Climate Agreement recognised 1.5°C as a desirable limit, and the CCC has advised that 4°C is the threshold of extreme danger.[1]
Helen Nicol, a healthcare professional from Poole said “We want to send a clear message to government that they must take immediate action on the climate, ecological and humanitarian crisis. The pandemic presented a unique moment to turn things around but so far the government has completely failed to act at anything like the scale and urgency that is needed. This is why we need a proper legal framework like the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill to force governments to protect those at risk from climate catastrophe now and in the future.”
Extinction Rebellion is urging the government to adopt the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill, a new law written with contributions from prominent scientists and academics. If the CEE Bill is made law, the government would have to act fast, accounting for our entire carbon footprint while actively conserving nature here and overseas and involving everyday people in decision making through a citizen’s assembly that has real bite.
Melissa Carrington, from Christchurch said “We’re taking action now, in a Covid-safe way, to push the issue up to the top of our local and national agenda. We need the support of as many MPs as possible so that the bill can move forward—so we’re asking people to write to their MPs asking them to back the CEE Bill”
- 2020 likely to be the hottest year on record
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-2020-be-the-hottest-year-on-record/
- Ice loss over the last 30 years has been in line with IPPCs worst case predictions https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/23/earth-lost-28-trillion-tonnes-ice-30-years-global-warming
- Greenland ice sheet melting has passed a critical tipping point.
https://phys.org/news/2020-08-greenland-ice-sheet.html
- Top scientist says collapse of civilisation may now be inevitable because 9 of the 15 known global climate tipping points that regulate the state of the planet have been activated.
- Even progressive nations are falling short of Paris agreement targets
- UK Climate Change Committee urges the government to seize the opportunity to turn the COVID-19 crisis into a defining moment in the fight against climate change:
