Twenty-five scientists attached pages of scientific papers and glued them to the windows at the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to highlight the climate science the government was ignoring.
Scientists for Extinction Rebellion was affiliated with the scientists and they swooped upon the department building at 1 Victoria Street, Westminster. It was just after 11 AM. To give the scientists space to move, doctors and health professionals staged a decoy.
This action was taken a week after the government published a new strategy for energy that promised to continue the exploration of North Sea oil, gas, and failed to set targets to onshore wind. It also gave nuclear a central position.
Dr Aaron Thierry (36-year-old ecologist) said that he wished he wasn’t here but was also glad to be here with all the scientists who know what’s right.
Last week, scientists around the world released a report that raised the alarm about the future of the planet. It stated that we must stop using fossil fuels. A few days later, the UK government responded by announcing that it would increase its exploration for oil & gas with the intent of extracting every drop.
Science says that this approach will lead to the destruction of civilisations. This will not happen if we stand by. Scientists have been raising alarm for decades, but governments have ignored them.
Richard Ecclestone, a former inspector for Devon and Cornwall police, was acting as legal observers to the protest for XR. He said that the scientists had taken the action because they were inspired by the energy strategy. He said that they put together this action to draw attention to the department of business and remind them of the science.
They have taken from scientific reports recent that state that there is no reason to continue searching for and exploiting oil and gas resources.
Dr. Charlie Gardner (43), a conservation scientist, and associate senior lecturer, University of Kent, stated: There are very powerful actors at both national and international policy levels that don’t want our society to decarbonise.
There are many people who are very wealthy and powerful because of the way the world works now. They don’t wish for the world to change.
We have government departments making decisions which will lead to calamity. As a scientist, I can see the impacts of these decisions and I cannot be passive. I must act.
A spokesperson for BEIS stated that while we are slowly driving down demand, we cannot create a cliff edge by cutting off our domestic supply overnight. This would jeopardize our energy security and threaten British industries and jobs. It will also increase demand and not decrease it. The British energy security strategy outlines a long-term plan for cheap renewables, as we move away from costly fossil fuels.
The scientists protest was part a week-long civil disobedience campaign by XR London. The environmental protest group called for supporters to take a week off to participate in the rebellion. It began on Saturday with blockades at the West End and continued on Sunday with supporters blocking bridges over the Thames.
On Wednesday morning, Hyde Park was the scene of protests by supporters of the group. More protests were anticipated.
