In the past few weeks, climate justice activists from around the world have staged demonstrations to disrupt business as usual and send a strong message to corporations and governments: we are in a climate emergency and the time is now to take meaningful action to curb the worst impacts of climate-related disasters.

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Extinction Rebellion (XR) “rebels” creatively blocked roads and bridges, chained themselves to buildings, and simultaneously held protests at multiple locations targeting many bad climate actors, including Chase Bank, Exxon Mobil, and other fossil fuel giants. Scientists from the UK, the US, Spain, Italy, and Australia took part in the coordinated protests, including 53 scientists who were arrested for throwing fake blood onto the National Congress building in Madrid and a NASA scientist who took bold action against Chase Bank.

Actions that received little to no press in European and US media outlets included participation from XR groups in South America and Africa. Some highlights were marches and demonstrations in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Nigeria, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.

According to their website, XR is a, “decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.”

The movement’s global website also includes resources for those who would like to get involved in a local XR group, including the following statement:

“Why rebel?

We are in the midst of a climate and ecological breakdown. We are facing an uncertain future – our world is in crisis and life itself is under threat. Now is not the time to ignore the issues; now is the time to act as if the truth is real. The science is clear. We are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making and our governments are not doing enough to protect their citizens, our resources, our biodiversity, our planet, and our future.
This crisis knows no borders, race or ethnicity, and while wealth may offer some protection, it is all but temporary. The clock is ticking, and if we don’t succeed in uniting to protect our planet, everyone will be impacted – you, your family, everyone and everything you hold dear…

…and yet every crisis contains the possibility of transformation.”

The XR movement continues to weave their rebellion narrative into protests around the world while committing to non-violent tactics to pressure governments and large corporations to change their policies and take action for the climate.