Today, 09 December, Extinction Rebellion set up a Christmas Wish Tree on Broad Street to get Christmas shoppers thinking about their hopes for nature in 2024. The event marked Nature Day at the COP climate summit in Dubai, where critical topics for discussion included protecting biodiversity, financing nature projects, landscape restoration, and nature-based climate solutions.
XR volunteers were asking passers-by to think about what they could do for the natural world this Christmas, then write their gift to nature on a bauble and hang it on the tree. They also provided family-friendly craft activities, and talked about the depletion of nature in Britain, and what we can all do to help.
Nature-based solutions can be a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, as healthy ecosystems draw carbon out of the atmosphere. Nature is also fundamental to human health and wellbeing: we depend on nature for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the medicines we take.
There are simple facts on the importance of nature that can’t be denied:
- Trees create oxygen that we breath and deforestation stops carbon dioxide absorption and oxygen release.
- Pollinators are essential to crop fertilization, seed development, and fruit production.
- Ecosystems are delicate and easily disrupted by destruction of key elements.
With this informative demonstration event, XR Oxford was asking people to think about what they value in nature and the environment, and what they can do as individuals, and as part of larger groups, to protect and enhance it.
Christian Silk, former Formula One engineer, and Extinction Rebellion activist, said:
“Even the smallest action can have a positive ripple effect. For example, leaving some of the leaves on the ground encourages Insects and Earthworms, which in turn supports the Birds that feed off them. Putting a small hole in your fence can allow a hedgehog to get through and forage. On a larger scale, nature restoration projects in Oxfordshire have increased support for nature conservation. By joining one you get together with likeminded people and realise that together you can make a difference.
But we need governments to take strong action, and this is where your vote matters. By voting for a party with strong pro-environmental policy you have the power to make changes. Finally, you could consider joining a protest group such as XR. Recently we have all seen how the power of protest has raised outrage at the destruction of our beautiful Rivers, forcing government and water companies to take action.”
Finally, to mark the last day of COP28 on Tuesday 12th December, Extinction Rebellion will stage a die-in on Broad Street. People will lie down silently, as if dead, to mourn the lost lives and missed opportunities the COP represents.
What is COP28 and what was the big controversy?
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is an annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where countries gather to discuss and negotiate global climate action.
COP28 is being hosted in Dubai, and president Sultan al-Jaber also works as the head of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.
Last week, at a She Changes Climate event, debating with former Irish President Mary Robinson (and former UN special envoy for climate change), al-Jaber refused to discuss the phase-out of fossil fuels as there was “no science” behind it and doing so would put the “world back into caves”.
The full exchange as reported by the Guardian is below:
Robinson: “We’re in an absolute crisis that is hurting women and children more than anyone … and it’s because we have not yet committed to phasing out fossil fuel. That is the one decision that Cop28 can take and in many ways, because you’re head of Adnoc, you could actually take it with more credibility.”
Al Jaber: “I accepted to come to this meeting to have a sober and mature conversation. I’m not in any way signing up to any discussion that is alarmist. There is no science out there, or no scenario out there, that says that the phase-out of fossil fuel is what’s going to achieve 1.5C.”
Robinson: “I read that your company is investing in a lot more fossil fuel in the future.”
Al Jaber: “You’re reading your own media, which is biased and wrong. I am telling you I am the man in charge.”
Al Jaber: “Please help me, show me the roadmap for a phase-out of fossil fuel that will allow for sustainable socioeconomic development, unless you want to take the world back into caves.”
Al Jaber:“I don’t think [you] will be able to help solve the climate problem by pointing fingers or contributing to the polarisation and the divide that is already happening in the world. Show me the solutions. Stop the pointing of fingers. Stop it.”
Who are extinction Rebellion?
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a global environmental movement that aims to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. It started in 2018 in direct response to the IPCC report warning we only have 12 years to stop catastrophic climate change and a mass extinction event. 5 years later, and little seems to have changed.
XR should not be confused with Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain, who gained heavier national press coverage for direction action disruptive tactics on busy roads and sports events. Extinction Rebellion prefer an organised march, their peaceful campaign of non-violent civil disobedience is intended only to raise awareness about the urgency of the climate emergency, to unite the world in pressuring governments and institutions to take immediate action to address it.
The movement’s key demands include governments telling the truth about the climate crisis, reducing carbon emissions to net-zero by 2025, and establishing citizens’ assemblies to oversee climate and ecological policies. XR has organized various activism protests, demonstrations, and acts of civil disobedience, including road blockades, sit-ins, and mass protests in major cities.
The movement is made up of many diverse activists, including teachers, scientists, and nurses, who don’t just want to be part of the solution and not the problem, but cannot sit idly by while the countdown ticks away.
