Extinction Rebellion and other solutions

Twice this week I’ve woken up sweating and wild-eyed from dreams about the end of the world. I’ve been preoccupied by Extinction Rebellion (XR), a global nonviolent civil disobedience campaign, founded here in the UK. It is an extraordinary phenomenon in mass movements. “For the first time, you have ordinary people engaging with radical action. It’s unique – I can’t think of any [protest movement] historically happening in that way,” a professor in environmental politics was quoted as saying.

XR say they are driven by the deep dissatisfaction of millions of people with the failure of government to act in view of the climate emergency and sixth mass extinction. You may also have heard of it as the Holocene or Anthropocene extinction of species as a result of human activity.

They say:

Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.

Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2025.

Government must create, and be led by the decisions of, a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.

It’s caught on. Only founded a year ago, there are now an estimated 485 Extinction Rebellion affiliates across the globe. Over two weeks this month, they tried to shut down 60 cities, including London, New York, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Cape Town and Mumbai. Government buildings, airports and financial districts will all be targeted with protests aiming for maximum disruption to provoke urgent political action.

The campaign is a loose network organised along deeply radical and yet time-honored principles for mass-based movements. It’s put the climate crisis back on the agenda as ordinary people, young and old and from all walks of life, have come forward to claim the issue and show they are willing to take part in actions that bring the workings of capitalism to a standstill and even risk arrest. This is no longer the province of what were once seen as eco-extremists. There is a widespread understanding now that every aspect of our way of life must be challenged in real, profound and inescapable ways. “The greatest challenge the Anthropocene poses may be to our sense of what it means to be human” wrote Roy Scranton in 2013.

XR actions resonate particularly in the Philippines with our own homegrown non-violent struggles to overthrow leaders starting with Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. The methods and mobilisation of the group have come under scrutiny because of its apparent extraordinary success. Disobedience is at the heart of non-violent struggle. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” wrote Martin Luther King Jr. XR has done its homework and new members are supplied with online resources to understand how and why it’s taken this course. Its strategy is influenced by studies that revealed that campaigns of non-violent resistance have been twice as effective as ones which used violence in achieving their goals. The research shows that the numbers matter too, finding that campaigns that involved more than 3.5 percent of the population invariably succeeded.

The group’s principles are designed to shape an organisation fit for purpose:

• “We have a shared vision of change—creating a world that is fit for generations to come.

• We set our mission on what is necessary—mobilising 3.5% of the population to achieve system change by using ideas such as “momentum-driven organising” to achieve this.

• We need a regenerative culture—creating a culture that is healthy, resilient, and adaptable.

• We openly challenge ourselves and this toxic system, leaving our comfort zones to take action for change.

• We value reflecting and learning, following a cycle of action, reflection, learning, and planning for more action (learning from other movements and contexts as well as our own experiences).

• We actively mitigate for power—breaking down hierarchies of power for more equitable participation.

• We avoid blaming and shaming—we live in a toxic system, but no one individual is to blame.

• We are a non-violent network using non-violent strategy and tactics as the most effective way to bring about change.

• We are based on autonomy and decentralisation—we collectively create the structures we need to challenge power.

Anyone who follows these core principles and values can take action in the name of Extinction Rebellion.” (my italics)

XR is just one dimension of the enormous global outcry to save the planet. The Philippine government had its own rebellion in August against a huge threat to the environment in the form of plastic pollution, when President Duterte declared “We are not the world’s dumpsite!” Plastic imports to the Philippines have risen by 150 percent from 2016 and the government declared a three-month moratorium.

But that’s not going to solve the problem if you bear in mind that 350 million tons of plastic are being produced each year. Eight million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year. If waste management practices don’t improve, scientists predict this amount could increase tenfold by 2025. Half of all plastics are single-use applications, used just once and then disposed of. We don’t know how long it takes for plastic to break down. It’s estimated it could take thousands of years to degrade. Plastic acts as a sink for chemicals already in the environment. The material is able to attract these chemicals and transport them long distances. Studies show plastic chemicals can act as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruption is linked to health effects like cancer, birth defects, and developmental problems in children.

Plastic waste is choking our rivers and seas, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods in South East Asia. Striving for cleaner seas, less plastic wasted and a more circular economy requires fundamental changes throughout the plastic value chain.

I’ll be in Bangkok next month to support a regional initiative to find solutions to get rid of the plastic, organised by the UN Environment Programme with support from the Swedish government. They say “SEA of Solutions is a conference to inspire market-based solutions and encourage enabling policies to prevent marine plastic pollution in South East Asia.”

I’ll keep you posted.

You can find more information about SEA of Solutions at https://www.unenvironment.org/events/conference/sea-solutions-2019