Scientists march on Westminster urging election hopefuls to Listen To The Science
November 21, 2019 by Extinction Rebellion
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- Scientists for XR will march from the Department of Education to Trafalgar Square from 12-4pm today
- Letter will be delivered to the Department of Education urging it to rewrite the curriculum to reflect the seriousness of the emergency
- Prominent speakers will include Dr Emily Grossman, Professor James Bullock, Prof Kate Jeffery, writer of Extinction Rebellion’s Heading for Extinction talk, among others
Today 12pm: Starting at the Department of Education, Scientists for Extinction Rebellion will march through Westminster today to warn that the next government must tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
The march will conclude at Trafalgar Square, where at 3pm figures from across the political spectrum, including Zac Goldsmith, Jeremy Corbyn, Sadiq Khan, and Mark Carney have been invited to Listen To The Science at an open seminar. Prominent scientists will highlight the urgency with which the next government must act to prevent incalculable human suffering, and demand that the Emergency heads the election agenda.
100 scientists and rebels in lab coats, representing the more than 1600 scientists across the globe who have declared support for nonviolent direct action over government inaction, will begin their march by delivering a letter to the Department of Education, urging it to rewrite the curriculum to reflect the seriousness of the emergency. The scientists march in solidarity with the 11,000 scientists who declared a Climate and Ecological Emergency earlier this month.[1]
The march will hold mini-seminars along the route to Trafalgar Square at institutions and departments that have a critical role to play in addressing the climate and ecological crises.
Prominent speakers will include Dr Emily Grossman, internationally acclaimed science author, television personality and climate communicator; Professor James Bullock, biodiversity loss specialist from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology; Prof Kate Jeffery, writer of Extinction Rebellion’s Heading for Extinction talk; and Dr Peter Spooner, paleoclimatologist and oceanographer at University College London.
Dr. Emily Grossman said: “The aim of the seminar is to go beyond mere protest, and to offer a real chance for anyone and everyone to hear the hard science of the Climate and Ecological Emergency. We hope to make it clear to those listening that this science needs to be translated into practical politics, and soon, if we’re to prevent catastrophic and irreversible changes to our planet.”
Scientists for XR demand that all UK political parties and Parliamentary Candidates support Extinction Rebellion’s Climate and Ecological Emergency (‘Three Demands’) Bill and do all in their power to ensure it becomes law.[2]
This march comes at the end of a week where Extinction Rebellion activists around the globe have been taking part in a global climate hunger strike. The strike taking place to highlight the vulnerability of our food supplies and to force governments to enact Extinction Rebellion’s three demands.[3]
Notes to Editors
- https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-emergency-scientists-emissions-letter-climate-change-a9185786.html
- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dXZif0DtyUkwUwQvj6XRQbFY_QwwoIUK/view
- https://rebellion.earth/2019/11/14/monday-18-november-extinction-rebellion-to-begin-global-climate-hunger-strikes-in-22-countries/
About Extinction Rebellion:
Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices, with human extinction also a possibility, if rapid action is not taken.
Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.
Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:
- 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.
Get involved:
In the UK, come to one of our events, join the Rebellion Network and let us know how you can help out.
Start a group where you are: in the UK or around the world.
Find your local group.
Check out the International XR website, with links to the French, German, Italian and UK websites.
And while your time and energy are of most importance, if you are financially able to donate money, see our crowdfunder.
About Rising Up!
Extinction Rebellion is an initiative of the Rising Up! network, which promotes a fundamental change of our political and economic system to one which maximises well-being and minimises harm. Change needs to be nurtured in a culture of reverence, gratitude and inclusion while the tools of civil disobedience and direct action are used to express our collective power.