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German climate activists stop air traffic after breaking into four airport sites
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- kraftman 2y agoHow are climate activists, especially just stop oil, so misguided?
- nemo44x 2y agoRead the history of the activist group/network "ACT UP". They used non-violent civil disobedience tactics to raise awareness of AIDS, etc. They utilized and in many cases pioneered dramatic and disruptive actions that gained a lot of attention and helped them achieve their goals. They were so successful that today many activists groups mimic their tactics and that's what you see here. And of course, what worked for them is often aped to detrimental effects. In many cases ACT UP unintentionally created numerous cargo cults.
- jerlam 2y agoToo many of these groups seem stuck on "awareness", as if seeing a single poster will instantly sway the reader to their cause, and to succeed they just need more people to see more posters. The reality is that most people have very rational reasons to ignore/oppose the climate protestors and other groups.
- ninthcat 2y agoProtests don't need to change the minds of the public to work. For example, protests still work in non-democratic societies in which public opinion has no bearing on policy. They work by directly exerting pressure on people who make decisions.
- kraftman 2y agoI guess I would agree if they were raising awareness for something people arent aware of, but everyone is aware of climate change wether they believe it or not. If their activities highlighted specific areas that need more awareness then that might also be more acceptable, but the only thing the public are aware of is that they are very annoying. Why don't they target oil companies, or politicians, instead of the general public? It's bad enough having your government ignoring you without also having activists target you ostensibly for the same causes you believe in.
- nemo44x 2y agoLike I said, there are cargo cults everywhere now that don't quite get the point and to likely detrimental effect.
- bjourne 2y agoThey have exhausted all other options and direct action is all that remains. They aren't misguided, you are.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- kraftman 2y agoHave they exhausted all other options? They've attacked public spaces, events, and infrastructure, targetted artwork and ancient monuments, but have they actually targetted the causes they are protesting against in any way, or even the politicians that have the power to effect the changes they want to see?
- Tepix 2y agoI think sooner or later we will see the arrival of groups like Children of Kali as described in KSR's book Ministry for the future. It's going to be ugly. If you haven't read the book, there's a nice review at https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2021/07/15/minsitry-future-kim-stanley-robinson-241009 https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2021/07/15/mins...
- kraftman 2y agoit would probably be more effective than mildly frustrating a few commuters though?
- zolbrek 2y agoThey could form a new political party or join an existing one and take part in the democratic process.
- krapp 2y agoNo political party which takes climate change seriously could possibly survive, much less maintain power within a democratic system. People don't want to give up their comforts and luxuries and standard of living, and business interests don't want to do anything to interfere with profits. If it were possible to address this problem through the democratic process, it would have been done long ago, when it might have been possible to avoid disaster. Now the best we can hope for is damage mitigation, but even that requires sacrifices no government would dare even suggest. Democracy doesn't work when people don't care.
- _moof 2y agoI'm a leftist hippy and have made changes to my life to help alleviate climate change. But I am baffled by the fixation that activists seem to have on airplanes. Aviation accounts for something like 3% of emissions globally. What's the deal?
- stop50 2y agoCurrently it is vacation season in germany.
- nutrie 2y agoInstant media coverage perhaps? I've had long conversations with some of the people from this group in the past and my conclusion is they have no idea what they're doing. With enough arguments, their claims and worldviews ALWAYS fall apart at some point (it's actually surprisingly easy, which is sort of terrifying). I'm not at all against young people or activists per se. Anyway, do I need "fresh" sea food being shipped to the EU from central Asia every three days? Absolutely not. Good, so let's found a non-profit or a company and get to work.
- toomuchtodo 2y agoThe fact of the matter is that consumer demand is only part of the problem. The other part is shareholders and other corporate interests who are deeply intrenched and do not mind if the world burns for their future returns and wealth preservation. Non profits and for profit concerns are unable to solve for this. https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/13082024/glencore-to-retain-its-coal-and-carbon-steel-materials-business/ https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/13082024/glencore-to-retain-i... > Shareholders representing an estimated two-thirds of eligible voting shares were consulted for their views. Over 95% of shareholders that specifically expressed a preference for retention or demerger supported the retention of the coal and carbon steel materials business, primarily on the basis that retention should enhance Glencore’s cash generating capacity to fund opportunities in its transition metals portfolio, such as its copper growth project pipeline, as well as accelerate and optimise the return of excess cash flows to shareholders. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/08/fossil-fuel-industry-using-disinformation-campaign-to-slow-green-transition-says-un https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/08/... > Fossil fuel companies are running “a massive mis- and disinformation campaign” so that countries will slow down the adoption of renewable energy and the speed with which they “transition away” from a carbon-intensive economy, the UN has said. > Selwin Hart, the assistant secretary general of the UN, said that talk of a global “backlash” against climate action was being stoked by the fossil fuel industry, in an effort to persuade world leaders to delay emissions-cutting policies. The perception among many political observers of a rejection of climate policies was a result of this campaign, rather than reflecting the reality of what people think, he added. https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/23/only-the-super-wealthy-stand-to-lose-money-from-shutting-down-fossil-fuels-study-finds https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/23/only-the-super-wea... > Only the super wealthy stand to lose money from shutting down fossil fuels, study finds
- lnsru 2y agoIt’s perfect topic for a flame war. But imho blocking airports ends up in more traffic overall because planes must be re-routed. Is this not opposing original goal?.. or the goal is not saving climate at all?..
- orev 2y agoThe purpose of this type of action is not to stop the carbon emissions at that moment, but to get people’s attention to hope something is done in the future. The main discussion is whether this kind of action will create the intended result.
- nutrie 2y agoYou mean someone else does it.
- ffsm8 2y agoWell, personal responsibility is one of the dumbest things you can cite to a global problem. Even dumber is annoying and inconveniencing random bystanders that have literally no way to influence the problem, like these protesters are doing to the travelers here. Nonetheless, there is no way to avert the coming climate catastrophy without forcing almost everyone to change their behavior. Wherever that has any chance of happening is a different story altogether.
- nutrie 2y agoNobody has ever achieved anything truly meaningful by forcing people and calling them dumb.
- ffsm8 2y agoThat completely depends on what qualifies as meaningful. From a rational point of view, every impactful change came by regulation, which is a proxy for force. After all, what's going to happen when you break this regulation? That doesn't mean that regulation would solve this particular crisis though. The best you can achieve with national regulation is pollution and that's just not gonna stop the coming climate disaster. And you're mistaken wrt what I labeled dumb: I specifically phrased it in the context of actions, not people.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]