Joining the Rebellion

Stepped up non-violent direct action is required if society is to realistically address the climate emergency

by Adam Bennett

I have been watching and reading with increasing alarm the reports coming out from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for many years now and decided that sounding the alarm on Facebook and writing to ministers wasn’t enough for me anymore.

I joined The Greens after watching Shed A Light: Rupert Read – This civilisation is finished: so what is to be done? at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzCxFPzdO0Y

Which is a long and difficult watch but Rupert recommends things we can do including joining Greens parties, which I have done.

The reason I joined is that there is a possibility that in the near future the party may have a significant role to play in the political changes that are required to get us out of this mess, and I wanted to support that hope that the change coming will be us getting on with solving this mess rather than merely watching the mess unfold.

I would encourage each and every one of you in The Greens to consider joining the growing worldwide movement called Extinction Rebellion, as I have. This movement has as a symbol an hourglass in a circle, signifying that we have almost run out of time. The best analysis by scientific experts tells us we have less than two years to start some pretty radical changes in the way we live our lives and relate to nature. Given the time left, we cannot rely upon lobbying or elections to effect change. We must change now. Only enormous pressure from the people on the scale of a revolution will be enough to effect changes that are likely to transform civilisation to make future generations safe.

Extinction Rebellion has only one aim – to apply enough pressure on the system in the right way to get our leaders (whatever their ideology or views  ̶  LNP, Labor or any other party) to pivot from ‘business as usual’ to a commitment to address this crisis head on and treat it as the emergency that it is. In the next 18-24 months we need a common agreement from all sectors of society that fast, radical change is not only required, it is necessary. I am currently training, organising and advocating. Training in what non-violent direct action is and means, training in how to disobey, training in stepping way out of my comfort zone and disrupting business as usual to draw attention to the necessity for change. I am organising new non-hierarchical teams of committed individuals working together to apply pressure in various ways. Pressuring politicians, the media, corporations and industries. I am advocating for reframing the purpose of our lives from accepting the work, debt, travel, shopping frame to accepting the panic, plan, prepare, pressure, adapt, build resilience and local connections frame. I hope you join the rebellion. More information can be found at https://rebellion.earth/ , https://ausrebellion.earth/ and https://xrwa.earth/ .

Header photo: Declaration of rebellion at WA Parliament House on 15^th August. _{C. Johansen}

_{[Opinions expressed are those of the author and not official policy of Greens WA]}