Extinction Rebellion

[JimC]

Over 100,000 here in old Melbourne town...

Massive! Felt very positive...

[Hermit]

What we need to be ready for are lazy politicians who think they can do a bit of fiddling round the edges while trying to avoid doing anything substantial that might rock the donation boat.

This goes doubly so for corporations and corporate associations that politicians what to do - and refrain from doing. Almost all those entities aver with hand on heart something like the Business Council of Australia: "We support strong action on climate change
" Said council continues:

We support meeting Australia’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. Under this international climate pact, Australia has agreed to reduce the amount of emissions it produces by between 26 and 28 per cent compared to 2005 emissions levels. This reduction needs to be achieved by 2030.

And immediately expands on what it means with a couple of statements that can only be described as the ultimate sheet anchors to any meaningful change. Firstly with

Action on climate change must strike a balance between reducing emissions while protecting jobs and living standards, especially in regional Australia

Well, "regional Australia" is where all the coal mines are.
Elsewhere the BCA's CEO is quoted as saying

Our long-held position on climate and energy policy is that Australia needs a realistic, pragmatic plan for transition to a lower carbon economy which includes a market-based, economy-wide mechanism to reduce emissions to give businesses the ability to plan for the future and meet our international commitments.

"Realistic", "pragmatic", "market-based economy", "give businesses the ability to plan for the future and meet our international commitments" are all barely disguised calls for "don't do a fucking thing that affects the status quo".

So Woolworths and Coles, two business giants that have 80% of our grocery market sown up between them, are exploiting their decision to no longer provide single-use plastic shopping bags to argue that they too are environmentally responsible businesses. Both remain key members of the Business Council of Australia, and neither has ever objected to that council's lobbying on behalf of the coal mining companies. Their records of doing next to nothing while fiddling around the edges are first class.

[Brian Peacock]

Global climate strike: millions protest worldwide – in pictures

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... _clipboard

[Tero]

Still waiting for 30 minutes in our time zone. Sitting inside in air conditioning produced by coal.

[Rum]

Global climate strike: millions protest worldwide – in pictures

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... _clipboard

There’ll be many a politicians calculating how many of these guys will be legible to vote before they commit themselves.

[Tero]

Right now!

[Brian Peacock]

Global climate strike: millions protest worldwide – in pictures

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... _clipboard

There’ll be many a politicians calculating how many of these guys will be legible to vote before they commit themselves.

Big cheer today when speakers called for 16 yo to get the vote - if they're old enough to join the army they should be old enough to vote.

[JimC]

The demographic was very interesting (my impressions of it, anyway...). A lot of students, with probably two thirds to three quarters girls. Also parents with younger children, then lots of middle aged to elderly, maybe 60% women. Contingents of unionists marching under their own banners, plus indigenous Australians. Generally lots of diversity...

[Tero]

I smelled pot at the protest.

[Brian Peacock]

Australian media's bizarre reactions to the climate strike

The Daily Mail found a child at the climate strike who said they just wanted the day off school and Alan Jones quoted Joseph Goebbels. Those were just some of the more bizarre takes on the climate strike from sections of the media on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across Australia in what were overwhelmingly peaceful events but on Sydney’s most popular breakfast program Jones interviewed climate sceptics and claimed school children were being brainwashed by adults with a political agenda.

“This sort of stuff is frightening young people,” Jones told his audience. “Young people are going to be concerned, they believe their teachers, they actually think that they’re at school and what they’re being told is true.

“The notion of using children in all of this is scandalous and the politics of climate change has become poisonous.”

When an elderly caller suggested the children’s minds were being manipulated just like those of the Hitler Youth in Germany decades ago, Jones was in furious agreement.

“I will remind our listeners that [Hitler’s] minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, also said it would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and the psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle.

“They are mere words and words can be moulded until they clothe ideas in disguise. This is what’s going on here isn’t it? Immensely disturbing I have to say. Immensely disturbing.”

Jones interviewed climate denier Christopher Monckton, who claimed the science was falling apart.

“There’s a very large political element in this climate storyline but the science is collapsing in all directions,” he said....

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ate-strike

[Sean Hayden]

It's all the result of the relatively consequence free living you lot enjoy in your democracies. A wise and strong ruler to lop off your heads would make the idiots among you think twice before offering their influence to matters they don't understand.

[Brian Peacock]

Don't forget that long-haired hippies like you will be among the first faces stomped on by polished jackboots of a strong man's stormtroopers. Your only protection now is to join l'revolutione.

[Brian Peacock]

[Animavore]

[Sean Hayden]

Like his peers, he's succeeded in monetizing trolling.