XR Godalming Update 12th May

Every other week, Matt writes an article which is published in the Farnham Herald. The coordination group thought XRgodalming rebels would be interested to read it, as most of us probably don’t read that paper. In light of Sunday’s announcement of a slight easing of lockdown restrictions that essentially leaves us locked down/in, and of the continuous mantra we have heard of ‘flattening the curve’, Matt’s article is incredibly apposite:

The news recently has, understandably, been dominated by the novel coronavirus; which means other important news stories have somewhat fallen by the wayside.

On 8^th April, the Mauna Loa Observatory on Hawaii recorded an atmospheric carbon dioxide reading of 417.91 parts per million (ppm); the first time in human history a reading over 417 has been recorded.

I was born in April 1983, at which point the CO2 level in the atmosphere stood at around 345 ppm. When man landed on the moon it was at 327, when WWII broke out it was at 311. When the industrial revolution began in 1760 it was at 280, which is particularly important to note, because for almost a million years prior to that, the level remained relatively steady between 180 and 290 ppm. Not only have the levels rocketed since then, and continue to do so, they are also going up at an accelerating rate, with more CO2 released into the atmosphere in my lifetime than in the previous two hundred years. It took almost 40 years to climb the last 70 ppm, we are currently on course to reach 500 by the 2050, and 600+ by the end of the century – a level not seen for 50 million years.

It’s certainly an attractive idea to think that a few weeks of lockdown due to COVID-19 has made a big impact in terms of the climate and ecological crisis – and on a local scale it has with pollution levels dropping and skies devoid of vapour trails appearing bluer than many of us have ever seen – but locked in carbon emissions are still warming the planet, and will continue to do so for thousands of years. Once we stop releasing CO2 it’s thought global temperature rise will peak and stabilise in around 40 years. In other words, the sooner we act, the sooner we flatten the curve.

Published in the Farnham Herald on 20 April 2020

IN THE NEWS (and in case you missed it on Telegram)

We have discussed on a number of occasions the various links between the coronavirus crisis and climate change, and quite a few people have posted articles on Telegram about this. The New York Times has an interesting article, as it comments on the picture emerging in Europe. For anyone thinking there might be an easy transition from the current health crisis to positive action on the climate crisis, this section, with quotes from Jean Pisani-Ferry, an economist and former aide to President Emmanuel Macron of France, will be of interest;

For green militants, the virus “only strengthens the urgent need for climate action,’’ he wrote recently. “But die-hard industrialists are equally convinced: There should be no higher priority than to repair a ravaged economy, postponing stricter environmental regulations if necessary. The battle has started.’’

Coronavirus and the climate crisis has been the prevalent news information shared on Telegram, and remains a dominant discourse in the media.

CarbonBrief has an article on leading economists’ views about how countries who use economic stimulus packages to boost their post-coronavirus economies are better doing so through green policies.

Ex-Bank of England Boss Mark Carney continues his very belated push to encourage investment in green energy as part of economic recovery, as documented by the BBC.

The BBC also has an interesting video about the ways in which the current pandemic is affecting how climate activists are getting their message across, and what they are doing while locked down. This resonates well with what we have done in xrgodalming over the past two months, for example on how we have learned more through the book club and think tank.

Imperial College London has a good analysis on how our response to the current crisis can shape the way we tackle the climate crisis, using lessons learned.

XR REBELS STILL BEING CHARGED

It may seem quiet from the actions point of view, but that doesn’t mean fellow rebels are not still feeling the strong arm of the law. Several of our members are still being charged with obstructing the highway in relation to the October actions in London. Not much is happening in the courts at present and hearing dates may be some way in the future, so our thoughts are with those who have to endure any anxiety this brings and we will support them in whatever ways we can.

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE NOW – EVEN FROM HOME

NO GOING BACK

Chris posted information recently about XR’s ‘no going back’ campaign, for which more details are available on the XR website.

You can watch the Action Video Brief here: https://youtu.be/rJNV1-Y8dy4

The action is summarised as follows:

ACTION BRIEF

Every Sunday at 10am, stand in a safe, socially-distant place.

Hold a sign about how YOU want an environmentally & socially-just society.

Wear a face-mask & protest silently.

If you want to, find a space where other people are doing the same & be ‘Alone Together’.

Take a photo & upload to social media with #NoGoingBack

If you don’t mind XR using your images – post your photos on the Action FB page: https://tinyurl.com/y9j2prfv

#NoGoingBack; #AloneTogether; #AnotherWorldisPossible

Louisa also posted information about an action you can take – but you need to get onto it TODAY!

Action from home – help change the future of UK agriculture!

We have returned repeatedly in recent meetings to the concepts of care for the land and food security. The Landworkers’ Alliance goes one step further in campaigning for food sovereignty, or ensuring that small-scale farmers can control their means of production and are empowered to grow and distribute food in a way that is nourishing to land and people.

LWA are currently lobbying parliament to amend the new Agriculture Bill to include more explicit support for agroecological farming. Please visit this link for a template with all the info needed to help you write to your MP in support before Weds 13 May, when it will be debated in the Commons.

DE-ESCALATION TRAINING

Jenny has organised a session of de-escalation training for Saturday 23 May, from 10.30am to 1.00pm.

This should be an excellent training, newly retooled for Zoom, and being taught by the central XR De-escalation Training team. Anyone in the group can attend, although numbers are limited. If you want to join please let Jenny know via Telegram, or email xrgodalming.

Here is the course overview:

Nonviolence is one of the core principles which is non-negotiable for everyone who wants to take action under the name of XR. De-escalation is a key skill for anyone involved in any action. It helps maintain nonviolent interactions and atmosphere.

XR’s nonviolence has both a strategic and ethical dimension. Strategically, nonviolence is an effective tool in mass mobilisations, as evidenced by social science research. Upholding nonviolent tension means actively creating a respectful culture and basis for trust whilst also exposing and confronting injustice. Ethically, XR takes the view that by undertaking the conscious, often challenging work of removing violence from the way we act and interact, we can connect more deeply and positively with each other and the world around us. Through this deliberate practice we can model, or ‘prefigure’, the future we hope to create.

This training will provide:

• a deeper understanding of nonviolence

• practical de-escalation skills for maintaining nonviolence with small groups and individuals

• practical de-escalation skills for large crowds.

XR Godalming banner project

This is a reminder for anyone who wants to do something practical at home. If you are feeling arty and itching to recreate this feeling of XR community, you can help to make the new Godalming banner. It’s going to be a honeycomb patchwork – think citizens’ assemblies and buzzing bees!  All you need are some fabric scraps, black pen/ink/applique skills, scissors and a little time.

Download the pattern. Join the art group for questions or contact Louisa directly!

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Another reminder, this time about the website development mentioned in last week’s newsletter. Tim and Basil have started to build xrgodalming.org. If you want to help with this project then please get in touch. Equally, we need to hear what people want on the website. Please email suggestions to xrgodalming.

LAST WEEK’S SESSION

Last week’s session was run as a people’s assembly. For those unfamiliar with people’s assemblies, these are described on the XR website (which also has more detailed information) as follows:

People’s assemblies are a way for a group of people to discuss issues or make decisions collectively, so that all voices are heard and valued equally and no one person or group is able to dominate the process.

Extinction Rebellion uses participatory democracy processes, such as people’s assemblies, in order to model participatory democracy within the movement, generate ideas, gather feedback and make decisions.

People’s assemblies have a very different purpose, structure and process to citizens’ assembly, which is the central idea in our third demand in the UK.

We debated two questions:

1.       What message(s) do you believe XR should prioritise in a post-Covid world?

2.       What tactics could be used to bring these messages to bear most effectively (while remaining respectful of social distancing for as long as we deem to be necessary)?

I was a lively discussion and as ever the format provided a good space to talk through the issues.

THIS WEEK’S MEETING

We have our weekly meeting on Wednesday at 7.30 to 9pm via Zoom. There’s quite a few agenda points along with space to check in and catch up. If you’ve not joined one of our zoom meetings yet it’s worth giving it a try. The format works well and while we can’t share out biscuits between discussions it’s great to hear first hand what is going on and see some friendly faces.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

The next Think Tank meeting is on Monday 18 May. Feel free to join.

On Wednesday 20 May we will hold another open mic session. The previous one was brilliant, so please join in and, if you wish, contribute. Play a tune, sing a song, read a short story, recite a poem – whatever you want (as long as it fits with XR principles!)

Saturday May 23, online de-escalation training session (see above).

Book club – Duncan is going to send the next set of reading for the book club via Telegram, and we’ll sort out a date for the next session.

Heading for Extinction talk. We are looking at doing a Zoom version of the H4E talk, with some adjustment to the content in light of the coronavirus crisis. A date has yet to be firmed up, but likely to be in the first half of June.

Look forward to seeing you on Wednesday or soon.

With hope and determination.

XR Godalming