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'We are going to be swimming in the dark' ­— leader of Extinction Rebellion Newark and Sherwood warns the Government of climate crisis




The leader of Extinction Rebellion Newark and Sherwood joined climate protests in London.

Roger Bell, of Maplebeck, united in the march to warn the Government it is burying its head in the sand when it comes to climate change.

The campaign group leader said doing your own bit of recycling was now not going to be enough and until the Government changed, we were going to be swimming in the dark.

Roger Bell, leader of Extinction Rebellion Newark and Sherwood (right). 160719DC1-2
Roger Bell, leader of Extinction Rebellion Newark and Sherwood (right). 160719DC1-2

"I went to the protests from Monday to Friday with various other members and some more went at the weekend, but it was me and thousands of others," said Roger Bell, leader of Extinction Rebellion Newark and Sherwood.

"We held the road at the rear of 10 Downing Street and they probably pushed us out because of the Queen's Speech procession. Police tried to move all the protesters through Trafalgar Square.

"Other rebels were camping out at St James' Park, but the police moved us out on Wednesday or Thursday."

Extinction Rebellion protests and rallies have brought major parts of London to a standstill since the group launched in May 2018, and now has teams set up all over the world.

The latest of disruptions include protesters today blocking roads outside the Bank of England building for its supposed contribution to funding the climate breakdown.

It is believed 1,309 people so far have been arrested in connection with the climate change protests.

Despite apparent civil unrest and anguish, Roger said the atmosphere during the London protests was very uplifting.

"I met so many people who realised the grave situation we are in. I did not really find any hemp smoking crusties," he said.

"The thing about protests is they are disruptive, but we have really tried everything.

"We have written to MPs, but they have done nothing about it, and the Government has done nothing about it."

Roger said Extinction Rebellion had consistently apologised for any inconvenience during rallies, but any disruption was minuscule compared to what we could potentially face in the future.

"Doing your own bit of recycling is not going to be enough now. Until the government changes, we are going to be swimming in the dark.

"It is depressing at the moment with Brexit and climate change is just getting ignored."

The district-based group has also started a new petition responding to the council's declaration of a climate emergency, asking the council to:

  • Commit to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the council’s estate and operations, and social housing in the district to net zero carbon by 2025.
  • Work with citizens, business, academia, the district’s town and parish councils, neighbouring local authorities and voluntary organisations to devise and implement a rapid action plan to reduce GHG emissions.
  • Where barriers halt progress, publicly call on the Government for more resources and policy levers to allow the council to meet these targets.
  • Report back to full council on February 11, 2020, on the progress of any action plan prepared since the declaration of a climate emergency, and report on progress every six months after this.
  • Dedicate sufficient staff and budget to achieve these aims, including training all council staff and councillors on the reasons for the climate emergency, and the potential measures to mitigate and adapt to risks.

The petition can be found here.

To find out more about Extinction Rebellion Newark and Sherwood, visit their website http://xrnewark-sherwood.co.uk/

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