Can Civil Disobedience Spur Action On Climate Change?
Democracy is the rule of the majority while respecting the minority. That does not confer a right to terrorize to the minority. That’s what those youths claim for themselves. Disrupting normal life, causing excessive losses through disruptions, blocking things that the majority wants by telling and showing them that they will mess their health and their bodies up in case the majority proceeds. Let’s just be clear – there is no direct and immediate threat that those youths are reacting to that would somehow justify such action. There is the vague theory that the planet might possibly suffer if some mathematical models prove to be correct which they never have so far. Just imagine a small gathering of people declares that based on their own evidence aliens will land and abduct all humans to experiment on them – would you accept civil strife that costs billions in delayed projects and damages to public and private goods. Probably not – so why is this different now?
Ninety-nine young environmental activists achieved their goal on Parliament Hill on Monday by carrying out acts of civil disobedience. As conditions worsen, civil disobedience is a growing response to the lack of government action on climate change and the full-speed-ahead attitude of the fossil fuel industry.
