Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a group that started in 2018 because it is starting to become an alarming emergency that the governments of the world seem trapped in a death spiral unable to effectively combat the real issue of global warming and species extinction including possibly the human species. Their principles are based on non-violent direct action.
This is an international movement and chances are there is a chapter near you.
April 12, 2019 through April 26, 2019 was an International Week (two or three weeks) of Rebellion. Many thousands of people around the world put up significant resistance and there were many arrests. In London alone there were over 1000 people that got arrested for non-violent direct action (NVDA) and civil disobedience. They did this in the spirit of love and compassion even for the police officers and those obstructed by their obstructions. This movement is about the survival of all of us and we are all a part of this. Many letters were delivered to the London Parliament and some members of the Parliament began to hear and discuss the XR demands. Because of this, they declared a Climate Emergency in the UK and other parts of the world as well where the movement had spread.
On Oct 7, 2019 in Chicago, during an International Fall Rebellion where over 3000 activists were arrested in London in an attempt to get the government to respond quicker to the emergency and not just on paper, XR activists from all over the Midwest of the US converged in Chicago and sent a message to the people of Chicago and the world in hopes that Chicago's mayor Lori Lightfoot would declare a Climate Emergency and to support our brothers and sisters in London and all over the world. There was a Regenerative Fair where many people, families, and children sang and dance and had speeches and children wrote about the Stolen Dreams in little origami pink boats next to a big pink boat replica, people sang, danced, and gave speeches, there was much sidewalk messages made, and people practiced yoga and other activities. The high schoolers in the area from the Youth Climate Strike movement had a march and die-in at the city hall. Activists took control and occupied the streets for many hours until nightfall.A few months later, in January-February of 2020, a Climate Emergency Resolution was declared in Chicago. Then a few months after that, in May of 2020, a similar Climate Emergency Resolution was declared in Elgin.
XR has also sometimes joined forces with another group called Climate Mobilization on the demands to declare a clmate emergency.
Of course, the work is far from done. With the declaration of Climate Emergency, many governments are treating this as non-binding and not seriously pursuing this. It is not clear what can be done to steer the governments in the right direction since they are not actively listening to the people, although they make pretenses of doing so, they are not actually doing so.
This conversation about the survival of the human species has begun to get more notice from people and more people are having this conversation. More people are learning about XR and joining XR to try to turn the tide and leave behind our previous unsustainable lifestyle. However, to make a real change to the Earth, this must be coordinated with the governments of the world and the people of power. There definitely is a path forward to a sustainable world but we must act now, and leave behind our current, unsustainable practices. We cannot wait any longer.
Part of Extinction Rebellion's demands is to try to get as close as possible to net zero carbon emissions by 2025, which will require a people's assembly run by regular people and scientists that can oversee and have power over the other branches of the government. This will actually be the most cost-effective route for the governments because if they don't go down this route, they will end up paying a lot more in damages down the road.
Here is a description of XR's principles and values.
Here is a video that expresses the urgency of XR's mission.
Here is a link to Extinction Rebellion Chicago.
Here is a link to Extinction Rebellion International.
Here is a link to Extincion Rebellion US.
This page last updated on 12/1/2022