Stansted protest by Plane Stupid- Plain Stupid?
Below link to; BBC news on Stansted Protest by Plane Stupid.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/7770513.stm
Is the protest at Stansted ill conceived? One protester claimed they had prevented over 4 tons of CO2 being emitted by the protest yet this action has possibly helped alienate several hundred if not thousands of people to the climate change cause.
Whilst the media cannot be relied upon to get a balanced perspective on the reactions of passengers whose flights were disrupted, one has to wonder if anyone, even sympathisers, would have not have felt a bit pissed off.
Ryanair was the most effected airline and possibly a prime target of Plane Stupid being a low cost airline. However one has to consider the claims of some airlines as to the increased fuel economy and reduced emissions of newer aircraft. (Comments from Ryanair in BBC article) Let’s be realistic, air travel is not going to go away any more than nuclear weapons were negated due to the “Ban the Bomb” protests of years gone by.
Protesting about the lack of action to curb climate change is great but in this media driven age of instant communication, instant gratification, fast living and perceived instant results, protests need to be managed and choreographed to have maximum impact on the desired target with minimum collateral on the swaying vote.
Maybe a protest at the terminal entrance or at the check-in area would have been less damaging to the cause with equal impact and publicity. The fact of the matter is that most passengers who were disrupted will have got back in their cars, driven back home only to re-book and travel again at a later date, thus increasing their own collective footprint by a ton or two. If one is being pernickety, there is now the extra carbon footprint, which is not inconsiderable, generated by the process of prosecution of the arrested protesters and the forest of trees cut down to supply the mountains of paperwork which is endemic in the legal process.
Plane Stupid may have created some worldwide publicity but at what cost? Unfortunately the vast majority of the public still have their heads firmly implanted in their backsides, denying the crisis we are facing with the climate and until they are personally affected and confronted with irrefutable proof that the global warming is the direct cause of their misfortune, they will continue to clasp at the straw of denial.
Is it ME?
Brian
Climate isn't just a Jumbo issue
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Yes people were inconvenienced and angry about the protests, but that is often the response from an addict when confronted about their addiction.
Do you think abolitionists, the civil rights movement, or the suffragettes didn’t piss anyone off in their time? Is saving the planet not worth a little disruption?
Unfortunately planting trees ain’t gonna save the planet without major changes to our fossil fuel habits. It might just do more harm than good by making people think they’ve solved the problem while continuing to fly and drive.
We need interventions like these to remind people that their behaviour is fuelling climate chaos.
…..and this is just the beginning…
Hi onthelevel,
I agree that sometimes drastic measures must be taken but your attitude is that of a climate terrorist, what is needed is persuasion and education. In the mind of a terrorist his cause is just and he will not flinch at causing harm and inflicting damage to cause maximum inconvenience. However does this approach win over the other side? Are women now given equal status in all things? No. Are there no violations of human rights anymore? In every country in the world human “Rights” are violated every day. In fact human rights are now considered by many as a shield used by criminals and terrorists.
I simply point out that the action at Stansted may have been better planned to highlight the problem of aircraft CO2 emissions.
Planting trees by the way is a method of helping negate the unavoidable footprint and hopefully reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere now and in years to come; they are also invaluable to the environment and bio diversity.
Planting trees is not an excuse to maintain the status quo and indulge in unbridled fossil fuel burning, no more than buying carbon credits for the manufacture of wind turbines.
You may live a life devoid of reliance on fossil fuels, have wind power for your computer, and household electrics, maybe you do not have a mortgage to pay and thus no need to go out into the world to earn a living, maybe you cook all your food over an open fire and live a carbon neutral lifestyle, I don’t know, but most people are not that fortunate so whilst we must reduce consumption to a minimum we should try to undo the damage we, and our predecessors, have caused to the planet by pillaging its resources in the past.
Extremism seldom won hearts and minds, education, understanding, and a willingness to compromise are vital.
Finally I disagree that this is just the beginning, it has been going on for a while and will continue for some time yet…