Extinction Rebellion: Civil Rights Movement For Our Environment?

Made famous by their more recent mid April 2019 occupation movement in the UK, is Extinction Rebellion a “civil rights movement” for our environment?

By: Ringo Bones

Established in the UK back in May 2018, Extinction Rebellion got its start after one hundred academics signed a call to action involving nonviolent resistance to protest against climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse. Named after the Anthropocene Extinction – our current epoch where most mass extinctions and environmental destruction are primarily caused by our collective human industrial activity. Even though they organized protests last year, it was in 2019 that the movement gained prominence back in April 1, 2019 after a so-called “nude protest” in the House of Commons – though a lot of people had mistaken it as a “Brexit protest” instead of an environmentalism one. It was around the middle of April 2019 when Extinction Rebellion occupied four prominent sites in central London – i.e. Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge and the area around Parliament Square. The April’s protests more or less ended after a lot of activists were arrested but not before world famous Swedish student climate activist Greta Thunberg talked to the press about her support of Extinction Rebellion.

Extinction Rebellion attracted a legion of followers since their establishment back in 2018 largely due to their demands – something that needed to be reiterated to the powers-that-be. It goes that “the government must tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, reverse inconsistent policies and work alongside the media to communicate with citizens. The government must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels. A national Citizens’ assembly to oversee the changes to create a democracy fit for purpose.”

Despite of recent successes, Extinction Rebellion has been criticized by some for making unrealistic demands. The Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, which supports the movement’s course of strong action and demands, said that the timeframe being urged by Extinction Rebellion was “an ambitious that technically, economically and politically has absolutely no chance of being fulfilled.” The Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit calculated that to go net zero by 2025, flying would need to be scrapped (only viable in my opinion if all ongoing armed conflict is stopped and stay stopped for the duration) and 38 million cars – both petrol and diesel – would need to be removed from the roads. In addition 26 million gas boilers would need to be disconnected in six years. American philosopher and animal rights advocate Gary L. Francione criticized the movement for refusing to promote veganism as a solution to climate change and for adopting the “personal / political” dichotomy which he says “every progressive movement from the past 50 years has rejected because common sense tells us that you cannot ignore the role of the individual in creating and perpetuating social problems”.