News / Extinction Rebellion
Older climate activists stage sombre protest
A group of unconventional Extinction Rebellion protestors staged a protest on Park Street and College Green.
The group of over 70s mobilised in response to the outcome of the COP26 summit which took place in Glasgow in November, perceiving the outcome as insufficient to safeguard future generations.
Christopher Martin, 83, is a former headteacher at Bristol Cathedral School and Millfield, protesting to ensure young people are not subject to a planet with devastated ecosystems and a lack of biodiversity.
“I could not look my grandchildren in the face if I failed to make any move,” said Christopher.
“Sadly, we recognise that we are members of the generation which has been largely responsible for the current fragility of the planet.”
Extinction Rebellion protesters staged a protest on Park Street — by David Matthias
It was a sombre affair, protestors dressed in black carrying coffins back and forth the crossing at the bottom of Park Street.
Martin explains their significance, saying: “They are representative of death by asphyxiation, given that the Amazon has for centuries acted as the earth’s lungs, absorbing huge amounts of CO2 and producing 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen. It is now so damaged that it is actually emitting more greenhouse gasses than it can store.”
The group seeks to pressure financial institutions funding deforestation through fossil fuel extraction.
Also in attendance was Alastair Sawday, 77, founder of Sawday’s Special Places to Stay and an advocate for green travel. “It comes down to all of us,” said Alastair.
“We have a vital role to play in safeguarding the planet for our grandchildren and beyond, not only in adapting our own carbon footprints but also in pressing our government to exercise wise leadership.”
While the COP26 summit upheld an agreement to try and limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5C, it was seen by campaiogners as a weak deal that “failed to phase out coal, reduce subsidies and protect forests”.
Main image by David Matthias
Read more: Extinction Rebellion protesters blockade Amazon’s Avonmouth warehouse
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