Members of our Sustainability Committee attend Extinction Rebellion meeting in Godalming
In the second week of term, Charterhouse Sustainability Committee members attended a Extinction Rebellion meeting in Godalming.
The presentation was given by highly motivated members of the community and the same slides are being shown all over the world to different audiences, including governments.
The first part of the evening was devoted to going through very clear and convincing science related to the current human-induced changes to the climate and destruction of ecology. The second part of the talk explained the aims and methods of Extinction Rebellion. They emphasised that they are a non-violent civil protest organisation and they drew parallels with the approach of heroic figures from the past such as Gandhi, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther-King.
The speaker explained that before each event, Extinction Rebellion members decide who will be "arrestable" - the idea being that to get arrested gains publicity and draws in the resources of the state to make the government take the issues more seriously.
According to Greta Thunberg: "there are no rules to keep that oil in the ground, so we can't save the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to change. Everything needs to change and it has to start today". The evening left the Charterhouse group pondering the difference between knowing and acting.
