I was going to post on the Extinction Rebellion Climate
protest yesterday but I ran out of time as I had to post on the Game of Thrones, but that as they say quite literally is another story.
Time has moved on and for the second day London and I believe
other cities around the world have been targeted by thousands of people who
blocked the streets and stopped the traffic as a protest about pollution.
I’m assuming that no-one had pointed out to them that by
stopping the traffic they were adding to the pollution but one feels these
people probably don’t care.
On top of adding to the pollution by stopping traffic they
also threw what I believe was oil over the Shell building, yet more pollution.
Protester Olivia Evershed, 23 said; “I hope that it’s really
going to bring awareness about the emergency crisis that we are in, and
encourage the government to act.
“We’ve got 12 years to act before there is irreversible damage
to the environment and we start to see catastrophic changes. If we don’t do
anything to change this, our children will die.”
Somewhat of an over statement of the situation I must say as
the percentage of world pollution from the UK is 1.21% and as most of the world
pollution comes from places like China the USA and India I would suggest you
are protesting in the wrong place.
I believe the population of India is expected to double in
the next 10 years and if I’m not much mistaken China will also increase
dramatically, now if their figure of 12 years is correct we are all dead anyway,
so I suggest they stop being so melodramatic.
I’m forced to wonder how all these protesters travelled into
London, did they all walk, for surely that is the only way they must have
arrived as if they used any form of transport, bus, train, car, taxi they too
would be adding to the pollution in London. I somehow doubt they all walked.
People seem to forget that any form of transport causes
pollution even a bicycle for you cannot make a bicycle without using some form
of energy to source the parts to deliver them to the factory that manufactures
them, then the energy (welding etc) used to construct the bicycle. The bicycle
then has to be delivered to a shop or warehouse prior to delivery to the purchaser, yet more pollution.
Even using public transport causes pollution and I’m forced
to wonder how the lorry they used to block the road entered London, was it
running on fresh air and what vehicle was used to tow the yacht they used to block
the traffic?
Even electric vehicles cause pollution in their manufacture,
according to a report by Friends of the Earth, the extraction of lithium which
is used in the batteries harms the soil and causes air contamination.
Now we have Chris Packham joining in with his support for
the campaign.
I have to admit it leaves me lost for words, this from the naturalist who travels the world making wildlife films no doubt in the company of a film crew and all the equipment necessary for filming is joining a protest about pollution, what about his carbon footprint.
My suggestion for all these protesters is to walk home and
stop polluting our cities for before you start criticising everybody else look
to your own actions, and remember as the old saying goes; if you live in a
glass house, don’t throw stones.
Whilst the environment is an important issue, the 2025 target is simply impossible, even 2050 is challenging. Environmental groups attacked Phillip Hammond's 2018 budget in which he allocated £30bn for the building of new roads and the repairing of existing ones and yet they didn't consider that even electric vehicles, (cars and trucks), still need roads. The UK's transport infrastructure, both road and rail, has been neglected for decades. The UK economy needs to grow so that the tax take grows to pay for the NHS, education, social services, policing, social care and our defence. The disruptive protests over Easter have not only greatly inconvenienced commuters, who also have rights, but have been at a great expense to the economy of the UK. Damaging the UK economy damages the ability to pay for all the services which no doubt even environmentalists hold dear. BLS
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