Thousands of activists block London roads to demand action on climate change

[webfact]

Thousands of activists block London roads to demand action on climate change

By Andrew R.C. Marshall and Andrew MacAskill

 

Climate change activists attend an Extinction Rebellion protest in London, Britain April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of environmental activists paralyzed parts of central London on Monday by blocking Marble Arch, Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge in a bid to force the government to do more to tackle climate change.

 

Under sunny skies, activists sang songs or held signs that read "There is no Planet B" and "Extinction is Forever" at some of the capital's most iconic locations. Roadblocks were due to continue night and day at each site and the demonstrators said the protests could last at least a week.

 

The protests are being led by the British climate group Extinction Rebellion and are to involve demonstrations in 33 countries around the world over the coming days.

 

"I realised that signing petitions and writing letters was not going to be enough. Real action is needed," said Diana McCann, 66, a retired wine trader from south London, holding a banner in the middle of a traffic-free road. "It's like a world war. We have to go on to a war footing."

 

Extinction Rebellion, which generated headlines with a semi-nude protest in Britain's parliament earlier this month, has warned its members that some of them could be arrested for taking part in non-violent civil disobedience.

 

The group is demanding the government declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and create a citizen's assembly of members of the public to lead on decisions to address climate change.

 

At the Shell building near the River Thames, two protesters scaled up scaffolding writing 'Shell Knows!' in red paint on the front of the building and three protesters glued their hands to the revolving doors at the entrance.

 

Activists said they smashed the glass of a revolving door and caused more than 6,000 pounds ($7,900) worth of damage. The organizers said five people had been arrested for criminal damage.

 

"EXTINCTION REBELLION"

At Oxford Circus, protesters unveiled a pink boat that says "TELL THE TRUTH" and on Waterloo Bridge demonstrators brought trees, hanging baskets and skate ramps.

 

The protest had a festive atmosphere, with many families in attendance, and a low police presence.

 

Police later said that, from 1755 GMT for 24 hours, protesters would only be allowed to gather at Marble Arch to prevent "ongoing serious disruption". A Reuters photographer said police had begun arresting protesters on Waterloo Bridge.

 

Extinction Rebellion wrote to Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday outlining their demands and asking for face-to-face talks, warning that they will escalate their disruptive actions over the coming weeks unless the government acts.

 

"Make no mistake, people are already dying," the letter states. "In the majority world, indigenous communities are now on the brink of extinction. This crisis is only going to get worse ... Prime minister, you cannot ignore this crisis any longer. We must act now."

 

Organizers of the protests circulated legal advice to anyone planning to attend, requesting they refrain from using drugs and alcohol, and asking them to treat the public with respect.

 

The disruption follows similar action last November when thousands of protesters occupied five central London bridges. Police arrested 85 people that day.

 

Rowan McLaughlin, 47, a teacher, said this week's protests were more important that the huge pro and anti-Brexit protests in London recently.

 

"In Europe, out of Europe, it makes no difference if we have no liveable habitat," he said. "We're just going to get bigger and more annoying until the government speaks to us."

 

(Additional reporting by Helena Williams and Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Peter Graff/Mark Heinrich)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-04-16

[VincentRJ]

This is so sad that so many people are ignorant of the methodology of science and foolishly believe we can control the climate by simply reducing CO2 levels.

 

This is another example that demonstrates that 'climate change alarmism' is a type of religion where people just automatically accept whatever the priest tells them, without doing any research on the history and development of their religion and the different interpretations of the many passages in the scriptures and the different translations from ancient texts and passed-on memories.

[Snow Leopard]

12 minutes ago, VincentRJ said:

This is so sad that so many people are ignorant of the methodology of science and foolishly believe we can control the climate by simply reducing CO2 levels.

 

This is another example that demonstrates that 'climate change alarmism' is a type of religion where people just automatically accept whatever the priest tells them, without doing any research on the history and development of their religion and the different interpretations of the many passages in the scriptures and the different translations from ancient texts and passed-on memories.

Yes, correct and I bet most of them drove there. Then they will go home to their nice heated houses and flick the switch to put the kettle on. 

[sammieuk1]

Hope they will march to Chiang Mai next if they can find it????

[SOTIRIOS]

...considering what they have been subjected to.....this is what they find to protest about...???

 

...or is this another orchestrated event to distract people from any real issues...???

 

***

 

...otherwise...resigning themselves to being put in the same category as cattle...

...and being blamed for 'passing gas'...

 

...stranger than fiction...and a lot sadder....

 

 

[Bluespunk]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thousands of environmental activists paralyzed parts of central London on Monday by blocking Marble Arch, Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge in a bid to force the government to do more to tackle climate change.

Kudos. 

[Ulic]

Someone should tell these people the single most important thing they can do is make a commitment not to have children and second is to promote birth control in third world countries. AS I have no children I am doing the most I can possibly do. 

[bert bloggs]

Seems nowhere near the amount of protestors turned up as was predicted ,mind you looking at the ones that did ,i bet most were still in bed in their squats , loved the picture of the guy with a poster saying he had seven kids , was there as he does not have to bother to work ,as he gets so much of our tax money .

[nauseus]

13 minutes ago, Ulic said:

Someone should tell these people the single most important thing they can do is make a commitment not to have children and second is to promote birth control in third world countries. AS I have no children I am doing the most I can possibly do. 

That's a bit drastic and would end our species in about a century. However, limiting and controlling numbers of people on earth is the master key to solving most emission, pollution, hunger and strife problems. The biggest snag would be having everyone agree to it.  

[peterb17]

23 minutes ago, nauseus said:

That's a bit drastic and would end our species in about a century. However, limiting and controlling numbers of people on earth is the master key to solving most emission, pollution, hunger and strife problems. The biggest snag would be having everyone agree to it.  

Would agree

 

The world’s population has more than doubled in my lifetime.

 

The climate change lobby never seem to mention the pressure from a vast population is the problem. 

 

If the UK Government managed to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions to zero- do these people think that would really make the slightest bit of difference- with China and India pumping out vast amounts of pollution.

[sammieuk1]

Super glue and smashing windows to let a buildings heat out is not very eco friendly is it????

[Rimmer]

An off topic troll post and a reply have been removed

[sungod]

1 hour ago, SOTIRIOS said:

...considering what they have been subjected to.....this is what they find to protest about...???

 

...or is this another orchestrated event to distract people from any real issues...???

 

***

 

 

 

 

More interesting than Brexit..... ????

[jak2002003]

Well, that's all very well and good, and their hearts are in the right place.  But, sadly the UK government could not care less about its general population and their protests.  These people need to come up with something more pro active then simply standing about with signs and making noise.  

 

 

[blazes]

Mindless middle-class morons, all of whom are dependent on some form of fossil fuel to enable their "protests" against fossil fuels.

 

 

[bristolboy]

7 hours ago, VincentRJ said:

This is so sad that so many people are ignorant of the methodology of science and foolishly believe we can control the climate by simply reducing CO2 levels.

 

This is another example that demonstrates that 'climate change alarmism' is a type of religion where people just automatically accept whatever the priest tells them, without doing any research on the history and development of their religion and the different interpretations of the many passages in the scriptures and the different translations from ancient texts and passed-on memories.

The priests in this case being the overwhelming majority of climatologists.

[bristolboy]

3 hours ago, peterb17 said:

Would agree

 

The world’s population has more than doubled in my lifetime.

 

The climate change lobby never seem to mention the pressure from a vast population is the problem. 

 

If the UK Government managed to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions to zero- do these people think that would really make the slightest bit of difference- with China and India pumping out vast amounts of pollution.

So it's right wing political movements that promote family planning? Really?

Yet China and India are moving way ahead of schedule onto fossil fuels. In India private investors no longer invest in coal plants because solar is cheaper. Much, much cheaper. So much cheaper that if you were to destroy a new coal plant today and replace it with a solar plant, the levelized cost would still be cheaper. In fact, the greatest obstacle to replacing coal with solar or wind in these countries is government subsidies and crony capitalism. In fact, there's really no good economic justification for coal plants in the tropics and subtropics when solar plants easily beat them in cost.

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, blazes said:

Mindless middle-class morons, all of whom are dependent on some form of fossil fuel to enable their "protests" against fossil fuels.

 

So, building a solar power plant with various fossil fuel powered machinery  is somehow moronic too?

[Dek Somboon]

4 hours ago, nauseus said:

That's a bit drastic and would end our species in about a century. However, limiting and controlling numbers of people on earth is the master key to solving most emission, pollution, hunger and strife problems. The biggest snag would be having everyone agree to it.  

Our species is likely to go extinct in about a century anyway due to climate change. So why not go gracefully...

[nauseus]

39 minutes ago, Dek Somboon said:

Our species is likely to go extinct in about a century anyway due to climate change. So why not go gracefully...

I would say unlikely but it could be a painful century.

[bizboi]

53 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

So it's right wing political movements that promote family planning? Really?

Yet China and India are moving way ahead of schedule onto fossil fuels. In India private investors no longer invest in coal plants because solar is cheaper. Much, much cheaper. So much cheaper that if you were to destroy a new coal plant today and replace it with a solar plant, the levelized cost would still be cheaper. In fact, the greatest obstacle to replacing coal with solar or wind in these countries is government subsidies and crony capitalism. In fact, there's really no good economic justification for coal plants in the tropics and subtropics when solar plants easily beat them in cost.

not only is India massively dependent on fossil fuel but it has a 53% deficit on the imp0ort of fossil fuels from other countries. Their plan to achieve 40% of power from non fossil fuel sources is wildly ambitious and most sources say unachievable!! Even the biomass that everyone raves about is dependent on charcoal reserves!!

[VincentRJ]

2 hours ago, bristolboy said:

The priests in this case being the overwhelming majority of climatologists.

No. Most climatologists are honest enough to refrain from expressing an opinion on whether CO2 is the main cause of the current warming and whether or not such warming will lead to catastrophic consequences, because they know such opinions would be mere speculation. 

 

The often-quoted 97% consensus refers only to the minority (or possibly a slight majority) of second rate scientists who are prepared to stick their neck out and declare an unscientific certainty on climate issues in order to maintain a continuous supply of government funding to keep themselves employed on the gravy train. Didn't you know that? ????

[bristolboy]

22 hours ago, bizboi said:

not only is India massively dependent on fossil fuel but it has a 53% deficit on the imp0ort of fossil fuels from other countries. Their plan to achieve 40% of power from non fossil fuel sources is wildly ambitious and most sources say unachievable!! Even the biomass that everyone raves about is dependent on charcoal reserves!!

really?

Will India’s coal plants be left high and dry?

Thanks to the rise of low-cost electricity from wind and solar plants, a third of India’s coal power plant capacity is likely to be ‘stranded’. Since India has 197,171 MW of coal power, a third of it (65,723 MW) is quite a lot, and the big question is, what to do with them.

In 2017, most of the coal plants in the country produced, on an average, only 60 per cent of the electricity they could, and one of the bigger reasons was that the utilities were happier buying cheaper power from wind and solar. Experts calculate that if the capacity utilisation of a coal plant falls below 52 per cent — as is likely, with the rise of renewables — then the plant becomes fit to be shown the door.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/will-indias-coal-plants-be-left-high-and-dry/article24039455.ece

 

And that's without adding in the cost of pollution controls for coal powered plants.

[blazes]

3 hours ago, bristolboy said:

So, building a solar power plant with various fossil fuel powered machinery  is somehow moronic too?

Absolutely, BB, given how minuscule the contribution of solar  will be for decades, especially in sunny ol' Blighty....

[blazes]

3 hours ago, bristolboy said:

The priests in this case being the overwhelming majority of climatologists.

 

This remark shows a serious ignorance of history. 

 

There was a time when all the "climatologists" [aka "scientists" or "experts"] thought the earth was flat or that the sun went round the earth.

 

The remark also demonstrates an alarmingly naïve propensity to take as "true" or "definitive" what the high priests of "Science" tell us to believe......

[blazes]

2 hours ago, bizboi said:

not only is India massively dependent on fossil fuel but it has a 53% deficit on the imp0ort of fossil fuels from other countries. Their plan to achieve 40% of power from non fossil fuel sources is wildly ambitious and most sources say unachievable!! Even the biomass that everyone raves about is dependent on charcoal reserves!!

 

Besides, there's an awful lot of sacred cows wandering the plains of India, adding significantly to CO2 emissions!!

[4675636b596f75]

A perfect opportunity to fill the cells at the local mental asylum.  They can borrow nets from any large trawler.

[4675636b596f75]

2 minutes ago, blazes said:

Besides, there's an awful lot of sacred cows wandering the plains of India, adding significantly to CO2 emissions!

I've never been referred to as sacred, but I am trying my best each day to my son's constant annoyment, to add to the cows output.

[blazes]

1 hour ago, VincentRJ said:

 

The often-quoted 97% consensus refers only to the minority (or possibly a slight majority) of second rate scientists who are prepared to stick their neck out and declare an unscientific certainty on climate issues in order to maintain a continuous supply of government funding to keep themselves employed on the gravy train. Didn't you know that? ????

 

This is exactly right.  Anyone who has the slightest familiarity with academic life knows (alas) the truth of this remark!!!

[bristolboy]

3 hours ago, blazes said:

Absolutely, BB, given how minuscule the contribution of solar  will be for decades, especially in sunny ol' Blighty....

It's literally a thankless job correcting you..

Solar Power Investment Outstripped Coal, Gas And Nuclear Combined In 2017

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikescott/2018/04/09/solar-power-investment-outstripped-coal-gas-and-nuclear-combined-in-2017/#846d8e212379

 

And it's a pity that the UK doesn't have access to some other form of renewable energy. But I guess the calmness of its seas shows that wind power would be futile there A pity because...

 

It's now cheaper to build a new wind farm than to keep a coal plant running

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/its-now-cheaper-to-build-a-new-wind-farm-than-to-keep-a-coal-plant-running/