From the Guardian (click here)
Right now, thousands of people are taking direct action as part of a global wave of protests against the biggest fossil fuel infrastructure projects across the world. We kicked off earlier this month by shutting down the UK’s largest opencast coal mine in south Wales.
Last Sunday, around 1,000 people closed the world’s largest coal-exporting port in Newcastle, Australia
and other bold actions are happening at power stations, oil refineries,
pipelines and mines everywhere from the Philippines, Brazil and the US,
to Nigeria, Germany and India.
This is just the start of the promised escalation after the Paris
agreement, and the largest ever act of civil disobedience in the history
of the environmental movement. World governments may have agreed to
keep warming to 1.5C, but it’s up to us to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
In the US, a small town in Pennsylvania has legalized civil disobedience against fracking companies. (see link here) A tiny community sitting on a 27-square-mile piece of Western
Pennsylvania wanted to send a big message to the energy company planning
to deposit toxic fracking wastewater under its neighborhoods. And its
700 residents wanted it to be perfectly legal for them to loudly object.
Grant Township had seen what happens when people nationwide take to
the streets to protest bullying corporations: Arrests. Lots of them. So Grant Township planned ahead. Two weeks ago, it passed a law that
protects its residents from arrest if they protest Pennsylvania General
Energy Company’s (PGE) creation of an injection well.
I hope the law isn't overturned in the courts system.
Civil disobedience is a natural response to climate change given that there is virtually no other way to combat it. Big oil has always combated alternative energy sources and the people who oppose the use of fossil fuels. There would definitely be a huge economic impact if the use of fossil fuels was ceased. However, think of the economic progress that has already been intentionally stifled by oil companies.
ReplyDeleteI agree that civil disobedience is really the only option left to combat climate change. There is a little effort in Congress to propose meaningful policies to limit climate change. Furthermore, the big oil companies have no interest in losing their business, even if it puts the planet in danger. Civil disobedience is necessary (and has proven effective in the past on different issues) to invoke change.
ReplyDeleteI agree that civil obedience is the only way left to fight climate change. Even though there will be summits every year discussing world's concern about global change, each government can't really strongly regulate the fossil fuel use due to firms, when everything is directly related to money. As we learned throughout this class that money has power and it follows the interests. In these situations, civil disobedience seems like the only available option left. And Grant Township has established a great precedent for other local or state-level courts to follow. I agree with Dr. Apps that law wouldn't be overturned and people fighting for climate change can be legally protected in every way.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in time I don't see any other way to fight climate change than civil disobedience and I do not think this law will be overturned. I agree with Graham that Congress is pointing very little effort to create policies to limit climate change. Especially due to the big power that big oil companies have in politics and that limiting climate change would not benefit them in anyway.
ReplyDeleteI also think that civil disobedience can be possibly the most effective way to fight against climate change problems. I hope that more states would legalize civil disobedience for fight against climate change. At least 57 climate change activists were arrested for "Break Free" protests against the use of fossil fuel in Washington. Through these kinds of protests and demonstrations, it is important to raise awareness.
ReplyDelete