There is an alternative to disruptive climate protest

There is an alternative to disruptive climate protest | Letters

Prof Rupert Read believes a moderate flank of activists who can bring people together is the way forward, while Cllr John Dearing urges people to get elected to local councils to make a difference. Plus a letter from Maggie LeMare

Re John Harris’s article (Berating climate sceptics isn’t enough – disruptive protest now seems the only way forward, 24 July), it’s true that disruptive protest has been invaluable in breaking out of the crushing dead end that mainstream environmental activism had got stuck in. I’m proud to have helped launch Extinction Rebellion (XR), which, along with Greta Thunberg, most facilitated that breakout. But does disruptive protest remain the only way forward?

Harris appears to suppose that the only alternatives are either to back the radical flank or to be, at best, timid incrementalists. But the emerging moderate-flank strategy supposes something different: that the most effective thing to do now – while not shying away from how grim things are – is to meet people where they are and bring the majority with us. The radical flank is not capable of doing this. It (we) briefly did in April-May 2019, but such wonderful moments are rare. There’s been such pushback against the radical flank that it’s not now credible to suppose that it can actually win.

Comments

The car made pedestrians second-class citizens. Don’t let driverless vehicles push us off the road altogether | Adam Tranter

If we want autonomous tech to succeed it must be designed to share space with us, rather than forcing us to adapt to it Adam Tranter is the co-host of the Streets Ahead podcast. He was formerly West Midlands cycling and walking commissioner under mayor Andy Street This week, the UK government announced its plans to fast-track driverless vehicle trials in the UK. One of the key companies involved noted that London presents a significant challenge: “It has seven times more jaywalkers than San Francisco.” There’s more than one problem with that statement – and it encapsulates so much of what’s already going wrong in the adoption of driverless cars. For a start, “jaywalking” isn’t even a thing in the UK. We thankfully have no such concept or offence. Unlike in many US cities, pedestrians here are free to cross the road wherever they see fit. And thank goodness for that. Adam Tranter is the co-host of the Streets Ahead podcast. He was formerly West Midlands cycling and walking co...

PG Carz World

Search This Blog