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“We refuse to bequeath a dying planet to future generations by failing to act now. We act in peace, with ferocious love of these lands in our hearts. We act on behalf of life.”
The energy from Extinction Rebellion (XR) is entirely contagious; it is passionate and driven, though it is also logical and peaceful. It is the movement environmentalism so desperately needed. And its rhetoric is persuasive and energizing.
New book
THIS IS NOT A DRILL: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook captures all its arguments and reasons for action. It includes entries from leading member detailing the history and rise of the movement along with snippets from political figures lending their aid and voices to the ideals of the group.
All in all, it’s a clear manifesto of everything the group does and does not stand for. It proposes by the end, that each reader will have become an Extinction Rebellion Activist. And it’s hard not to be convinced by their positive energy because they truly believe that change is possible if enough people come together.
Vegans
I believe that every vegan ought to back XR with all the energy they can muster. They need to help guide it, so it can realize it needs to take a stronger and more proactive stance on veganism, to achieve its aims.
Declaring a climate emergency is important. Getting governments and local councils to listen is vital. None of these successes matter, though, if there are no steps in place afterward to tackle the climate crisis.
We need to propose solutions and we need to change the entire system if we are to survive. We simply cannot carry on the same way and Extinction Rebellion realizes this, but it needs to consider it in much more detail.
A worthy cause
The movement has done much for environmentalism. It has made it a pressing concern for today’s youth – many of whom have become active and involved in a truly worthy cause.
I also welcome the inclusiveness of the movement. We need as many people involved as possible to tackle the biggest issue the world faces. I also applaud Extinction Rebellion for suggesting that vegan food should be brought along to its gatherings.
However, it simply isn’t enough.
Diet change
We need to tackle climate change with diet change and more of Extinction Rebellion members need to realize this. They need to become vegans and they need align themselves with vegan groups because we both have the same environmentalist agenda.
It’s important that we work together to achieve change. Animal agriculture is the leading cause for the climate crisis and a group that claims to rebel against the system needs to take this into stronger consideration; it needs to rebel against the standard diet system and become plant-based.
If Extinction Rebellion wishes to push its ideals further, veganism is the logical next step.