A COLOURFUL and creative outdoor display of home-made butterflies, bees and birds at Top Mossley Market Ground was designed to do more than just catch the eye.
This symbolic (and socially distanced) action by Mossley and Saddleworth Extinction Rebellion (MSXR) aimed to highlight the catastrophic decline in the UK’s wildlife and press the Government for change.
The display was in place on Sunday, August 30 as part of a series of national events over the bank holiday weekend entitled ‘We Want To Live’, culminating with a major action in Manchester on Tuesday, September 1.
The campaign aims to put more pressure on the UK government to address XR’s three demands: tell the truth and declare a climate emergency; act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025; and go beyond politics and create a citizens assembly to address the emergency.
Nic, from MSXR, said: “Lockdown has shown people the importance of nature but the sixth mass extinction has started and the continuing destruction of the natural world for short term profit is a threat to us all.
“Going back to pre-Covid ways will guarantee bleak futures for following generations. For example, we’ve already lost many of our pollinating bees which will affect our ability to produce food. And climate change will just make things even worse.
“What is more important, clean air, bees and birdsong or the drive for infinite economic growth in a finite world?
“We’d need two and a half planets to sustain UK levels of consumption and we’ve only got the one!”
To reach a wider audience, individual group members have posted their displays on Facebook under the hashtag #wewanttolive.
Anyone who supports people who advocate hacking government and council computers, as XR does, is taking part in a criminal conspiracy. They should be ashamed of themselves. Millions of people rely on government and local government for vital support.
To try to take advantage of the rest of us at a time of national emergency is a disgrace.
In response to your claim – that was a rumour which then gained enough footing for a warning to be issued as, even though there was no truth in it they felt it had to be taken seriously just in case. This is what XR have actually been doing – it’s called Digital Rebellion and has been designed for those who are shielding or who felt they couldn’t take part in actions “on the ground” but who still wanted to make their voices heard and their thoughts, feelings and fears count (such as myself). It’s simply a way for people to contact their MPs and the Government to ask them to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill that’s being presented to Parliament tomorrow. The website shows you how to contact the Government and gives template suggestions on what you can say or write. The idea being that if enough people contact their MPs and the Government they might take some notice. That was the total sum of the “cyberattack”. Please have a look at Digitalrebellion.uk so you can see for yourself and please, please support the CEE bill? It’s been produced by a number of different organisations and if passed, it’s a way for the Government to mitigate and combate climate change effectively. Please read it here – http://www.ceebill.uk Thankyou.
Aaron. I’ve noted your comments before and sadly you really don’t seem to be one of “the rest of us”. I’m an independently minded person and worried about whether the “rest of us” are going to survive the obviously changing world climate. Look how governments across the world are responding to Covid, yet; this is a minor issue (some even believe it to be a hoax – I don’t by the way) compared to the mass movement of people away from the coastlines of the UK and also from over heating parts of the world (e.g. coastlines of Mediterranean countries, Sub-Saharan Africa, California, parts of Australia). This is just an increasing trickle at the moment but it could soon (10 years) be hundreds of millions. They will have to go somewhere. Are we prepared for how we will respond? I think we’ve moved on from “government computers” to really serious issues. I’ve stopped believing what Billionaires have been telling us for the last 40 years. They don’t have our (including your) best interests at heart. As long as they are ok filling their trousers with money, you, me and the “rest of us” don’t matter one diddly squat. I strongly suggest Aaron, that you do become one of the rest of us.
To Aaron Halliwell:
Scientific measurements show that the planet is heating up. Millions of people will suffer. Many people are already feeling the effects of climate change. Governments are not telling the truth. but the problem will not go away. There’s no shame in trying to create a more sustainable future and it seems that XR’s non-violent direct action approach is the only way to effect change given that the mainstream environmental lobby has been ignored for years. The real disgrace is that the Climate Emergency is not the most pressing issue of our time.
Publish away.
It is the most pressing issue of Our tome.
The responsibility and choices are Ours to make….
Do we want our children to survive?
Is there anything more important?
Arron Halliwell – speaking of shame; it’s a shame our local councils take such scant regard of the climate emergency and ecological catastrophe we are in, that they are not divesting from fossil fuel investments in the GM Local Government pension scheme, and our national government is still approving new road building. As part of the social contract in which we agree to be governed, we expect our leaders to make sure there is a habitable planet for us, our children and grandchildren. This should be their first priority.
There is no climate emergency. XR’s agenda is to destroy capitalism for political gain. That’s why the posters you could see on TV coverage of the London disruption all had Socialist Workers’ Party on them. You’re in very dangerous company!
Aaron. Where’s your evidence there’s “no climate emergency”? Don’t believe everything Billionaires tell you.
Doomster cave dwellers are in our midst. Every so often an international crusade takes hold and the blind follow the blind., Mossley in particular would benefit from a warmer climate, think of all the nasty gas bills avoided – and it would lower emissions!
Global Warming and Mossley.
If you think Global Warming will lower your gas bill, here’s some info.
Mossley, England is at 53.5 degrees north on the global map.
Average January temperature is 3 to 7 centigrade.
Radisson, Canada is at 53.5 degrees north on the global map.
Average January temperature is -21 to -11 centigrade.
Britain is warmed up by the Gulf Stream. Canada is not.
Greenland ice sheets are melting which causes the Gulf Stream to stop.
Today the Gulf Stream is at its slowest for 1600 years.
Your gas bill might go up – a bit.