By Beatrice Morandi
In September of 2023, the activist group Extinction Rebellion, driven by an unwavering commitment to truth, shared news articles from various British newspapers on their Telegram and WhatsApp groups. Their believe that their meticulous review revealed a disturbing trend: the articles were riddled with misinformation regarding fossil fuels, net zero, and biodiversity.
Mark, 56, an XR founder who doesn’t like to reveal his surname, passionately lamented that these articles failed to accurately represent the reality of the climate change crisis, as seen by the group.
In response, XR has taken their fight to the streets of London, organising impactful events every Tuesday and Wednesday right outside the Daily Mail, GBN or Telegraph offices in either Kensington or Victoria. These events were not just protests, but a powerful call to action for the journalists working for these two large companies. XR aimed to inspire them not only to improve their writing methods, but to be the voice of truth in a sea of misinformation, and not to be intimidated by their superiors.
Despite their efforts, XR has only secured one meeting in the past six months with the chief editor of foreign policy at the Telegraph. This crucial meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday, is a beacon of hope for the group. They hope it will be a significant step towards greater understanding and action towards addressing the climate crisis.
According to a recent report by FAO.org, extreme weather conditions are rising, affecting food production worldwide. The report reveals that the severity of heat and drought waves on agricultural production has tripled from 2.2% between 1964 and 1990 to 7.3% between 1991 and 2015.
This alarming trend has led to approximately $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock production loss due to catastrophic events over the past three decades. The president of the UK National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Tom Bradshaw, has highlighted that the impact of climate change is the most significant challenge we face today. Despite such critical issues, it is surprising that many newspapers fail to report on these developments.
“Unfortunately, it is not hard to believe that what the newspapers report, especially given the upcoming London mayor’s election, is all written to shift attention away from the problems of climate change,” said Susan Lark, 67, XR member.
“We believe that the state governs them, the newspapers, that makes them say only what is convenient to governments.”
Oxfam has reported that climate change is having a devastating impact on communities that are the most poverty-stricken, as they do not have the resources necessary to either protect themselves or rebuild after a catastrophic event.
“In East Africa, nearly 40 million people are experiencing climate-induced hunger. Catastrophic floods in Pakistan have inflicted more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses and left 10 to 12 percent of the country’s land area under water, affecting more than 33 million people”, it said, adding that rising temperatures are contributing to flooding.
- To get involved, please click here for more information about Extinction Rebellion.
Leave a Reply