Emily Hanna

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an ever-growing international movement, made up of those who are extremely passionate about combating climate change. They often protest in unconventional ways - road blockades and hunger strikes being some of their most recent methods. Their activism, which they describe as “non-violent civil disobedience”, has garnered them both allies and critics. But do their unorthodox tactics actually help their cause?

One of XR’s more controversial displays of activism took place in October, when 31-year-old British mother-of-one, Laura Amherst, vowed to go on hunger strike until prime minister Boris Johnson met the group’s demands. While some believe the climate cause is worth the risk to her life, others perceive tactics like this to be selfish.

An offshoot of XR, the newly-founded campaign Insulate Britain, aims to launch a national programme that would ensure that all homes are insulated by 2030, in order to significantly decrease fossil fuel emissions. They have also pursued radical measures to raise their climate concerns, and like XR, have divided attitudes. Their ongoing roadblocking of major English motorways (the M1, M4 and M5) has been an unwanted inconvenience for commuters, not least for emergency vehicles which have been delayed by the roadblocks. It is not surprising then, that many see this form of activism as unhelpful to Insulate Britain’s cause.

Flavia Gouveia presents *The Eco Scoop* on Queen’s Radio

Host of The Eco Scoop on Queen’s Radio, and third year Liberal Arts student at Queen’s University Belfast, Flavia Gouveia, has been following the Insulate Britain protests. She is of the view that “Whether what they’re doing is right or wrong, it’s happening. If Insulate Britain was to set up camp outside Westminster, it wouldn’t make the headlines. Protests need to cause some sort of disruption, and be an annoyance to someone, somewhere. [Insulate Britain’s] actions call us to stop and think about why they're doing what they're doing.”

The COP26 summit, which is currently being held in Glasgow until November 12, intends to “accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change”. The conference is providing a crucial opportunity for the UK government to acknowledge and act upon the demands of groups like XR and Insulate Britain. However, if the summit does not reach the desired outcome for these groups, it is feared that their radical actions will only become more extreme.

Many question why certain climate activists are prepared to face public scrutiny, criminal charges, and even risk lives, in order to raise their concerns. Perhaps, rather than assessing the effectiveness of their methods, the actions of these groups should instead be heeded as the warnings that they are, and that the time to address the climate crisis is now.

Emily Hanna is a Scoop Culture reporter and English student at Queen’s University Belfast

How effective are climate change activist groups in highlighting the climate crisis?