Why the Extinction Rebellion Gives Me Hope

by John Sadden

How did we get into this mess? Stand up for your future! There's only one Earth. There will be no second chance. It's much worse than you think. Don't burn my future. Take action now or swim later. Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up! Climate Crisis is here, declare it!100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988. Denial is NOT a policy. Change policy, not the climate. You vote for them, you pay them, make them listen.

If you wanted some sort of hope for the future of the world, the Extinction Rebellion protest in Guildhall Square on Friday was the place to be. The hand-made banners, from which the quoted words above are taken, were all held by young people. They are the future, and they know it. 

A packed Guildhall Square and demonstrations across the UK and internationally suggests that awareness is growing, helped by the inspirational young climate activist, Greta Thunberg. On the Guildhall steps, young speakers gave confident and rousing calls for action and a young singer performed the 1960s hit "Big Yellow Taxi" with the chorus line "You never know what you got 'til it's gone".

Banners, speeches, songs, dialogue, solidarity… Hope.