Members of Edinburgh’s Extinction Rebellion are taking to the streets of the capital to protest the ongoing climate crisis in a “die-in” protest.
Members of the action group will meet on August 27 at midday on the Royal Mile to demand action from the government after a record breaking summer. During the protest, the Red Rebels will lead a procession to St Giles Cathedral, where activists will pose as “casualties” of the climate crisis.
Participants will lie in front of the cathedral, covered in white sheets as a sombre drumbeat draws attention to the protest. It is designed to highlight the ongoing impact of the climate crisis.
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Next to the “bodies”, placards will be placed detailing the climate-related impact that led to the death including “heat stroke”, “starvation” and “climate conflict.”
The action comes in the wake of a record-breaking summer in the UK, which included the highest recorded temperature in Edinburgh earlier in July, as well as the declaration of droughts across England. The action is also protesting the proposed Jackdaw oil fields in Aberdeen.
The demonstrations on Saturday are designed to inspire the public into protesting and put pressure on the government to take action against the climate crisis.
The Extinction Rebellion said: “The scientific community broadly agrees that these impacts can be attributed to the UK’s changing climate arising from the ongoing burning of fossil fuels. The International Energy Agency, the world’s leading authority on the global energy sector, has warned that ‘there can be no new oil, gas or coal development’ if the world is to meet net zero targets.
Despite increasingly stark warnings issued by the IEA, the UN, and energy and climate experts worldwide, the UK government has approved a series of new oil and gas fields in recent months, with the largest being Shell’s Jackdaw gas field northeast of Aberdeen.
The UK government claims that Jackdaw will increase the UK’s energy security, however if the project is allowed to go ahead it will only further entrench the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels at a time when it is crucial that the world moves beyond them. Scientists say that there is an ever-narrowing window of opportunity to act on climate, after which climate changes will start to accelerate beyond control, and threaten the survival of human civilization.”
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