Everything you need to know about the Extinction Rebellion

Since their foundation in 2018, by Gail Bradbrook, Simon Bradwell and Roger Hallam, the Extinction Rebellion have been raising awareness of the ongoing climate crisis.

Their logo, a simple hourglass design, is designed to represent the finite amount of time that Earth has left in ecological terms. The world’s most powerful governments have been frequently criticised by environmentalists, including those associated with the Extinction Rebellion, in regard to their handling of climate change.

They’ve been the centre of debate since their inception. In case you don’t know who they are, here’s everything you need to know about the Extinction Rebellion and why they’re such a popular topic of conversation.

What are the Extinction Rebellion’s aims?

As a rule of thumb, the Extinction Rebellion aims to bring attention to the environmental situation the planet is in and to preserve it to the best of their abilities. However, their current set of goals are somewhat more complex than this.

Firstly, they demand that the government must declare an environmental emergency and act accordingly. They feel that by not doing so, parliament is being too naive in its approach to the issue.

As well as this, the Extinction Rebellion wants the government to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. Currently, the Climate Change Act states that the UK must reach net zero by 2050 – 25 years later than the Extinction Rebellion would hope for.

Finally, they also wish for the government to set up a Citizens’ Assembly to debate environmental and ecological issues. Furthermore, the government must be act upon the conclusions that this assembly comes to. This likely stems from the Extinction Rebellion’s lack of confidence in the government to act appropriately in response to an environmental crisis.

How do they seek to achieve this?

While most audiences view the Extinction Rebellion’s aims as honourable, it is their methods that draw the most criticism. They have been known to block traffic during rush hours and prevent trains from setting off, to the annoyance of commuters. They call these tactics “respectful disruption”, as it is not their aim to cause harm – merely to garner attention for their cause. However, by preventing people from going about their lives, they usually attract more ire than support.

Roger Hallam, one of the founders of the Extinction Rebellion, claims “without disruption, no-one is going to give you their eyeballs”. While this may be true, their critics believe their methods do more harm for their cause than good.

They have been subjected to mass arrests at their protests – in 2019, their actions cost the Metropolitan police an estimated £7.5 million. In addition, they have also received support from Greta Thunberg, one of the world’s most famous environmental activists.

While they certainly have the public’s attention, we have yet to see if the methods of the Extinction Rebellion will produce positive results – and indeed, if their aims will come to fruition.