Aware of what though? Sure, surveys show most people are aware of climate change, and want something done about it. But if you dig deeper, it turns out there’s a huge gap between awareness of climate change and awareness of just how massive and urgent a problem it is. Very few people really understand the speed and scale of societal transformation needed to avoid making much of the planet uninhabitable. Such a transformation could have been managed in graceful orderly way if we’d started on it in the early 90s - if people had really listened to the warnings presented at the Rio Earth summit. But we missed that window. These activists are at the forefront of a new wave of direct action, because they realise the only way we get there now is by smashing the machines and separating the oil barons from the source of their profits. Direct action like this isn’t designed to raise awareness or convert people to the cause. It’s goal is to signal to those who already understand what’s needed that it’s time to start the smashing. You can disapprove all you like, but unless you have an alternative plan and evidence that it will work, you’ll be on the wrong side of history.
3 Likes
