I have little sympathy for climate change protesters because they fundamentally don't understand the very real challenges associated with addressing climate change and why it differs from similar protest movements in the past (against various forms of discrimination, against Vietnam war, etc).
Protests against Vietnam war or Jim Crow in the US South worked because there was a clear and actionable plan to address the issue. Withdraw from Vietnam/end segregation. These were government implemented policies and reversing them was as much about STOPPING doing something as opposed to doing it.
The whole "Stop oil/fossil fuels" is completely different. Fossil fuels are the lifeblood of our whole economic system. Fertilisers created using fossil fuels deployed en mass are the only reason we don't have mass starvation in many parts of the world. It is a indispensable part of operating our extensive transportation networks as well as generating our power.
Even under the most optimistic projections by 2050 the global use of fossil fuels will be at 50% its current levels. And this is assuming full scale adoption of nuclear power/renewables (which I support 100%).
From the image in the article if we were to "stop oil" tomorrow we would be looking at catastrophic collapses in living standards. It can't be done, it won't be done, and there is no support for it. The only option we have available is slow plodding changes to the energy grid. We don't know if it will be enough or not but these protests will do absolutely nothing except harm.
These protesters are a waste of space but that would be forgivable if it weren't for the fact that their actions are leading to law changes like this which can be used to cripple protests that can actually work like the ones that helped end Vietnam and segregation.
I'm sure there will be responses to this with claims I'm a "climate change denier" when nothing could be further from the truth. Climate change and environmental degradation of varying types are serious and important issues facing us. But that doesn't mean any petulant and poorly thought-out action supposedly taken to address the problem is worthwhile or productive. These protests fall into that category and should be unequivocally condemned.
Protests against Vietnam war or Jim Crow in the US South worked because there was a clear and actionable plan to address the issue. Withdraw from Vietnam/end segregation. These were government implemented policies and reversing them was as much about STOPPING doing something as opposed to doing it.
The whole "Stop oil/fossil fuels" is completely different. Fossil fuels are the lifeblood of our whole economic system. Fertilisers created using fossil fuels deployed en mass are the only reason we don't have mass starvation in many parts of the world. It is a indispensable part of operating our extensive transportation networks as well as generating our power.
Even under the most optimistic projections by 2050 the global use of fossil fuels will be at 50% its current levels. And this is assuming full scale adoption of nuclear power/renewables (which I support 100%).
From the image in the article if we were to "stop oil" tomorrow we would be looking at catastrophic collapses in living standards. It can't be done, it won't be done, and there is no support for it. The only option we have available is slow plodding changes to the energy grid. We don't know if it will be enough or not but these protests will do absolutely nothing except harm.
These protesters are a waste of space but that would be forgivable if it weren't for the fact that their actions are leading to law changes like this which can be used to cripple protests that can actually work like the ones that helped end Vietnam and segregation.
I'm sure there will be responses to this with claims I'm a "climate change denier" when nothing could be further from the truth. Climate change and environmental degradation of varying types are serious and important issues facing us. But that doesn't mean any petulant and poorly thought-out action supposedly taken to address the problem is worthwhile or productive. These protests fall into that category and should be unequivocally condemned.