The road outside Downing Street was stained red on Saturday as hundreds of climate change protestors spilled buckets of ‘blood’ in protest of the government’s disregard surrounding the issue.
Extinction Rebellion’s action stemmed from Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square, as the crowd, predominantly dressed in black, marched towards Downing Street in a silent, non-violent demonstration accompanied by a heavy police presence.
The protest, entitled ‘The Blood of Our Children’, actively encouraged under 18s to join the funereal march and after the buckets of ‘blood’ were poured onto the cordoned-off section of Whitehall, the younger protestors stood from a podium and spoke of their anger and dismay at the current state of affairs.
One 13-year-old named Max wanted to highlight the group’s anger towards the western world’s misguided priorities in recent decades.
He said: “What are you going to eat when the only thing left is money?”
Another teenager called Hattie felt the government’s attitude towards climate change has been infantile.
“They are acting like children, so we must act like adults,” she said.
Despite the ‘blood’ being poured in an act branded as ‘civil disobedience’ by the group, no arrests were made.
The statistics surrounding climate change make for stark reading.
Of the warmest years on record, 17 of the top 18 have occurred since 2001.
In 1950, annual global greenhouse gas emissions – including CO2 – were around six gigatonnes. Current levels suggest it has risen to 37 gigatonnes.
According to Extinction Rebellion’s website, if CO2 emission rates continue for the next two decades, it is unlikely to limit the increase in average global surface temperature to under 3°C.
This rise would be extremely dangerous, as it would take the average temperature to a figure not seen on this planet for around three million years.
Extinction Rebellion campaign nationwide, and April 15 marks their International Rebellion day, a series of unified demonstrations across the globe.
