The recent surge in radical climate activism is being met with a huge backlash. Does civil disobedience work or is it harming the movement? And why is everyone mad at the messenger, and not the perpetrators? We deep dive into the past and the present to find answers.
Reporter: Emily Leshner
Camera: Emily Leshner
Video Editor: Markus Mörtz
Supervising Editor: Joanna Gottschalk, Kiyo Dörrer
We’re destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world — and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we’ll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.
#PlanetA #RadicalActivism #ClimateAction
Read More (Links):
The Guardian on Extinction Rebellion changing its tactics:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/01/extinction-rebellion-announces-move-away-from-disruptive-tactics
The Guardian on Extinction Rebellion and road blocking: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/02/insulate-britain-and-just-stop-oil-vow-to-continue-disruptive-action
The Conversation on the history of social movements:
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-radical-activists-benefit-social-movements-history-shows-why-181977
Aljazeera on Egypt’s dissuasions on climate groups: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/12/ahead-of-cop27-egypt-environment-groups-express-fear-hrw
NBC News on climate grief:
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/climate-grief-growing-emotional-toll-climate-change-n946751
Olaf Corry and David Reiner (9/2020): “Protests and Policies: How Radical Social Movement Activists Engage with Climate Policy Dilemmas”:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0038038520943107
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Chapters
Intro: 00:00
Backlash: 00:52
History: 02:38
Activist’s side: 04:47
Expert’s opinion: 06:30
State reaction: 08:04
Conclusion: 11:23
48 Comments
Did you ever participate in a climate protest?
Make big oil as scared of us as we are for the future of the planet.
There's a Hollywood film Don't Look Up that shows the human nature and how we don't get invoved until it affects us directly. We need to find ways to show the relevance of climate change to each country separately rather than talking about it in global terms.
I do not support these kinds of people because they disrupt our daily working lives.
The harm they do does not justify their cause, especially since people are going to forget about it if everyone does the same thing.
Are these commenters even watching the video? You completely missed the point 🙃🙃🙃
If you don't involve other people, you lose. They should read some Cialdini's book as to start
i say let them happen.
The activists should pay for all the damage, like every other persons who did.something like it. And i.think it is good passing laws, so the police can handle protestors blocking streets.
They could demonstrate in marches in a city, that receives publicity too and does not hurt anyone.
Its called scapegoating!
Throw the tin of tomatoes at the greedy politicians not a painting 🙄
It's indeed really complicated! I'm not against the peaceful protests (even when it disrupts daily live, cause that's part of the intention there), what I'm actually worried about all this is that in the near-future some far-right groups will start to violently respond to those activist, threatening their very lives. For me, it's just not acceptable that someone puts its own life in danger for something he/she believes is a fight for the "greater good". My point is: the leaders of those movements must be well aware that we unfortunately live in a very conservative society, one in which some groups go as far as killing people to maintain the status quo. That said, I humbly think they should have more caution when dealing with the general public during demonstrations and even when entering private properties of corporations, since the life of each activist worths much more than dying for "a greater cause".
💯💯👍💯👍👍👍😃😃💐💐💐
None of the "radical"/"extreme" tactics you mention, are in any way radical, extreme, or particularly desperate. (note that all of the painings, were behind protective glass, and were never in any danger) The fact that they get backlash, is a sign of how conservative/corporate and despicable, the news media is.
Saying "you have no right to obstruct other people's lives", is saying that you have no right to protest, in any way, ever. There is no protest, that doesn't obstruct people. If it doesn't obstruct anyone, then it is completely meaningless nonsense, that doesn't achieve anything. The whole point of protests, is to obstruct, and thereby forcing people to pay attention. Without that, it is useless.
Anyone who says "you can't do it this way", must also say what ways are okay …and show that those methods aren't far less effective or even useless. The only problem is, that they can't.
capitalism is like narcotics. It blinds people's eyese and make them addicted. Fighting against gets always harder. When new economic system based on decentralised balance will lift people from doomed capitalism our doom we can avoid.
Once things go radical, it's not going to gain healthy influence. What happens when the normal sees the radical? It would leave a bad impression. Communications with the collective is key, rather than blocking the collective just for "attention" that few are even aware of. You have to show a good example, and be capable to act on a change that is possible. Singling out targets is also the key. Not just holding signs in the middle of an attention point and disrupting the collective, just to prove your individual opinions.
Please look at india, we are doing peaceful protest for a eco sensitive zone against government in india
You call it "radical" because you don't want anything to change.
Infrastructure and art is bloody useless, when the planet goes unhabitable.
Steve Jobs had the energy to move apple and create the best environment for designers and programmers, there have to be people who catches atention to help to move to climate neutrality, but i think that studying for clean tech is the best way for change, i'm starting to study Data Science so as to help in the near future, to create climate neutral products for the industry.
Imagine for a moment that IQ scores are actually accurate and meaningful.
Do you suppose that people in the top 5% notice that they are outnumbered by people in the bottom 75%? What does that mean for democracy in a high technology world?
I asked a PhD economist to explain how an automobile engine worked. He couldn't even start. Prepare for world crash! History is irrelevant. The Romans did not have maintain an electrical power grid.
If activists don’t put the climate crisis in the news, then a disaster will. And then it’ll have been too late. (And the UK immediately forgot about the horrendous flooding in Pakistan and Australia, or the America blizzards, etc. Only home turf disruption keeps people thinking about it)
Climate policy can’t be trusted to just happen without climate change being in the public consciousness. The continual underwhelming or downright failure of 27 COPs so far prove that. XR’s 2018/9 protests led to the UK establishing Net Zero by 2050 in law. And the soup on Sunflowers action got the woman TV invitations where she gave some really strong interviews. Those are real successes.
You need large scale of peace climate protest rally >1M people to make it effective or boycotting the product.
I don’t think you answered the question well. Like you cast the net too wide covering whether civil disobedience theoretically works, what motivates these protesters in general, and what reaction they’ve been triggering.
To answer if they’ve actually helped or harmed climate action, isn’t it the last one you want to really focus on? Obviously they get lots of negative attention. So has the theory that it will pressure the govt worked? You presented that so far they’ve just been cracked down on worldwide. I can think of examples: I’ve heard UK MP’s say that by the protesters putting the radical conversations on the table like “just stop all oil”, it makes it much easier to pass more realistic climate policy. I think XR protests were responsible for making the UK establish Net Zero by 2050 in law. Have the protests annoyed people into rejecting climate action? Or has it kept it in peoples minds, making them more likely to care when instead they would have forgotten about it until London gets flooded or something?
It’s not right for me to suggest what you should have been asking, but you did title it “do they help or harm the movement”.
There’s a lot of different protest groups out there. These are hardly radical. Groups who march, who spray paint, who vandalise, who block mines or airports. They’re all different with different impacts. It’s not like they behead people or burn buildings to the ground.
Minute 5:16… it's just a soup on a piece of glass, while a lot people are homeless in Bangladesh because of climate change, we should set priorities!! TOTALLY AGREE WITH HER!
The key thing is no matter how disruptive a protest is, it's nothing compared to how disruptive societal collapse and mass famines will be
Generational tyranny today is well represented, the monstrous disparity between "I don't want to change my habits" and you children and grandchildren will pay the price for it.
I prefer actions that target the rich and powerful, disrupting their fundraisers is a good one. However, I know some climate activists who repeatedly block highways – I know they're frustrated, they have seen decades of inaction, and blocking traffic is something that they are capable of doing. Many of them are prepared to die. I don't like it, and they don't like it either, but we can't let government's keep patting themselves on the back for only warming the planet by 2C.
I support whatever is effective. And as long as a performance protest form like this is fresh and shocking, it is effective, but after doing it a couple times, it becomes a stale pattern, stops making the news and is no longer effective. I'm surprised they didn't mention Just Stop Oils sabatoge of gas stations by hammering and chiseling the interfaces… infind that more interesting and indeed more effective. Also, the deflation of the tires of gas SUVs. These sorts of activities need discussion all on their own.
I'm glad this video discussed that the civil rights and women's suffrage movements had destructive fringes and that those aspects were critical to the success of their movements, and thus we should expect to see similar to the climate movement.
I do wish they could have shown some objective data though, some graphs that may show us if and how effective these movements have been.
They didn't put paint on the painting. It's covered in plexiglass. Shame on the media for failing to tell the whole story
They are right tho, when was the last time you heard of a peaceful Revolution?
Peaceful protest don’t do anything.
Protests needs to be disruptive in order to achieve proper effect. If they would not disrupt anything, they would be pointless – might aswell just to sign petition and be done with it.
Art serves to to express emotions – so yeah, go and disrupt our lives, attack art to put your point there. I wouldn't choose this way but I do support they decision to do it.
The reality is, we're way past the point of no return, so might as well just enjoy the ride.
My issue with these protests is that in the general public's mind only the radical action remained and not so much the solution. Plus I feel like these actions make skeptics see climate activists as crazy imature children instead of people with real concerns. And people who are already doubtful will not want to associate with that. Shouting at people that they are evil for using coal will not help them listen to solutions with an opened mind. Telling people they are murrderers for eating meat will not encourage them tontry a new vegan dish to see if they like it. Atacking people makes them defensive instead of opened for change. Our current crisis requires sistemic long term change. We can't just add a couple of words in a law saying that women can now vote and then be done with it. Our lifestyles need to change…and to feel empowered to make that change most people need to feel motivated and supported, not to be atacked and shamed.
People are acting like these activists came out of nowhere and started doing this without trying to peacefully protest first. Governments have been ignoring climate activists and scientists who couldn't be bought off for decades. This isn't some spur of the moment internet trend. This is the result of ignoring and actively working against saving our planet for generations. If anyone has an issue with it, take it up with those who are profiting from destruction. Not the ones suffering from it.
What happened with Disha Ravi was incredibly authoritative dictotrial and shameful, police and govt used the old era British law used to imprison indian freedom fighters to harass her. Huge respect for Disha Ravi
"Die letzte Generation" get their money from oil billionaires like Getty.
The sixth mass extinction is upon us
It is expression of sense of urgency; something big and harmful is going-on. It should be accepted as long as they follow laws, or compensate the damages. Do the laws prohibit persons sitting on a street? It will get more active day-by-day.
Naah we need to suffer. It's too late for comfort.
Blow up that pipeline, eat that billionaire, DDOS those multinational banks and companies…
Let's always remember to do alot of good 🙏
protest as much as you can, the rich just don't care
Thay have no wright, no wright pumping oil and poluting our planet and disrupting our daily life!!!
Laws regarding voting or civil rights can be changed overnight but powerplants cannot be just shut down.
world without climate change is it possible
Brilliant video, thanks!