Climate protest news 25 April 2022

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A selection of climate protest news – apologies that I’m inevitably missing many.

  • Earth Day on Friday saw many protests in North and South America including one protester who took his own life through self-immolation.
  • Insulate Britain declares UK courts ‘ “a site of non-violent civil resistance”, saying the UK legal system no longer has any legitimacy.’
  • A very broad injunction granted against fuel protests in Essex.

Wynn Bruce took his own life in protest outside the US Supreme Court.

A US climate activist has died after he set himself on fire outside the US supreme court building in Washington.

On Sunday, Kritee Kanko, a Boulder-based climate scientist and Zen Buddhist priest, said Bruce was a friend and member of her Buddhist community, who had been planning the self-immolation for “at least one year”.

“This act is not suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to climate crisis,” Kanko said in a tweet.

In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, Kanko said she could not be certain about Bruce’s intentions. She told the newspaper that “people are being driven to extreme amounts of climate grief and despair” and that “what I do not want to happen is that young people start thinking about self-immolation”.

Arrests made after XR blocks printers for US newspapers including NYT on Earth Day

Insulate Britain declares courts ‘site of civil resistance’, saying legal system not legitimate

In an open letter to the UK judiciary, the group wrote: “We understand that this is a difficult time for the UK judiciary and we trust that you will connect to our shared humanity as we come to ask you for help…

“If a government insists on destroying the nation state, then that government is involved in tyranny. It is involved in an act of criminality of the highest order.

“It becomes the duty of all people of conscience to oppose that tyranny as an act of self-defence.

“The criminalisation by the judiciary of ordinary people attempting to preserve lives and the very fabric of our society is abhorrent.

Oil protests: High Court grants injunction against Essex demonstrations

An injunction to prevent people protesting at oil terminals and outside petrol stations has been granted at the High Court.

The injunction applies to all petrol station forecourts in the county as well as several oil terminals.

Activists have staged protests across the county for several weeks.

Protest group Just Stop Oil wants the government to halt new oil and gas projects.

Continue ReadingClimate protest news 25 April 2022

The game changers on climate

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The game changers on climate

Earlier this month leading climate scientists issued their landmark report on climate solutions, directly to world governments, saying it’s “now or never” if we are to meet the Paris Agreement 1.5°C warming limit.

And the response?

Well, not what we need. Since the release, governments have announced or approved new oil and gas projects, despite the IPCC science saying we already have too many!

Climate scientists have had enough

A growing number of scientists have had enough, feeling obliged to step out of their labs and onto the streets to demand greater action. Following the release of the IPCC report, about 1000 scientists and academics in 25 countries took part in demonstrations, urging governments to act on the science. In the UK, a group of scientists glued scientific papers – and their own hands – to the windows of the government department responsible for energy, protesting the government plans for licensing of new oil and gas fields.

Continue ReadingThe game changers on climate

Climate protests news

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Summary: Scientist Rebellion protests worldwide, fuel shortages happening as protests blocking fuel depots continues, Extinction Rebellion protests at Oxford circus and 2 London bridges at start of protests.

Dozens Arrested as Scientists Worldwide Mobilize to Demand ‘Climate Revolution’

More than 1,000 scientists across the globe chained themselves to the doors of oil-friendly banks, blocked bridges, and occupied the steps of government buildings on Wednesday to send an urgent message to the international community: The ecological crisis is accelerating, and only a “climate revolution” will be enough to avert catastrophe.

“World leaders are still expanding the fossil fuel industry as fast as they can, but this is insane.”

What organizers described as “the world’s largest-ever scientist-led civil disobedience campaign” kicked off just days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report detailing the grim state of efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C by century’s end, a target set by the Paris accord.

As one of the report’s authors put it during a press call earlier this week, “Unless there are immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, 1.5°C is beyond reach.”

Warning that the IPCC report’s language was watered down at the behest of governments unwilling to rapidly phase out fossil fuels, scientists and their allies took that message further during their direct actions on Wednesday, operating under the slogan “1.5°C is dead, climate revolution now!”

“I’m taking action because I feel desperate,” said U.S. climate scientist Peter Kalmus, who along with several others locked himself to the front door of a JPMorgan Chase building in Los Angeles. A recent report found that the financial giant is the biggest private funder of oil and gas initiatives in the world.

“It’s the 11th hour in terms of Earth breakdown, and I feel terrified for my kids, and terrified for humanity,” Kalmus continued. “World leaders are still expanding the fossil fuel industry as fast as they can, but this is insane. The science clearly indicates that everything we hold dear is at risk, including even civilization itself and the wonderful, beautiful, cosmically precious life on this planet. I actually don’t get how any scientist who understands this could possibly stay on the sidelines at this point.”

Why is there a fuel shortage? What is causing the latest diesel supply issues at UK petrol stations

Climate activism groups Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion have teamed up to block key terminals across the country to protest the environmental effects of oil and gas.

The action groups said they want to disrupt fuel supplies to London and the South East of England and will continue to do so until the Government agrees to stop all new fossil fuel investments immediately.

Oil pipeline distributors ExxonMobil UK, said the protest, which started on 1 April, shut down three of its terminals as a result.

Thousands of Extinction Rebellion protestors bring London’s Oxford Street to a standstill

Climate activists, including an Olympic gold medallist, have staged a sit-down protest in Oxford Street and Regent Street, blocking traffic in the heart of London’s shopping district to call for no the Government to stop new investment in fossil fuels.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park on Saturday morning before marching into the centre of the city’s West End.

Extinction Rebellion protests block Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges

Extinction Rebellion climate change activists have staged protests in the centre of London for a second day, blocking Vauxhall and Lambeth bridges.

Hundreds of protesters prevented cars and buses crossing but ambulances were let through.

The Met Police said 38 arrests were made on Sunday and officers had now moved protesters from the bridges.

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Protesters continue to block UK oil terminals despite arrests

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Environmental protesters have continued to block UK oil terminals as part of a campaign to disrupt the fossil fuel industry despite dozens of arrests across the country.

Supporters of Just Stop Oil began the action in the early hours of Friday morning at refineries near London, Birmingham and Southampton by climbing on to tankers and gluing themselves to roads.

Despite at least 34 arrests, the activists continued to disrupt oil terminals on Saturday morning and said they had gained access to further sites.

The group announced on social media that they had blocked Navigator terminals in Essex, posting photos of protesters in hi-vis jackets on top of a tanker and others blocking a road with a banner reading “Just Stop Oil”.

They said protesters had blocked access to the Titan Truck Park and revealed a secret underground network of tunnels leading to the site. The development means the main and emergency access roads to the critical oil terminals are closed.

“We need the government to stop funding new oil projects and we need it now! Our only means of highlighting this issue is mass civil resistance,” they said in a post on Instagram.

Conservative MP for South Thanet Craig Mackinlay calls for renewable sources of energy to be abandoned!

Continue ReadingProtesters continue to block UK oil terminals despite arrests

Climate protesters storm Baftas and sit on red carpet as A-listers walk past – video

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Protesters from the campaign group Just Stop Oil stormed the Baftas red carpet ceremony on Sunday. Some managed to get in and sat on the carpet chanting slogans as A-listers walked past. The Guardian’s Damien Gayle spoke to some of them before the event
Continue ReadingClimate protesters storm Baftas and sit on red carpet as A-listers walk past – video