In the U.K., two members of the direct action climate group Just Stop Oil were arrested after they spray-painted the words “1.5 is dead” on the grave of Charles Darwin at London’s Westminster Abbey Monday. The protest follows the news last week that 2024 was the hottest year in human history, with the average global temperature rising by 1.6 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. This is one of the activists.
Alyson Lee: “2024 was the hottest year on record. We have already passed through the 1.5 degree that was supposed to keep us safe. Millions are being displaced. California is on fire. And three-quarters of all wildlife has disappeared since the 1970s.”
The activist later said she believed Charles Darwin would approve of their protest “because he would be following the science, and he would be as upset as us with the government for ignoring the science.”
Every time I see something like this my brain always assumes it’s people that actually have the opposite goal and are just trying to make actual activism look bad. Like how all of the “stop smoking” ads are made by tobacco companies. But in all honesty it’s probably just me overthinking it and these guys are just dumb.
Their tactic is getting climate change in the news headlines. That tactic is working.
What “stop smoking” ads are made by tobacco companies? When googling, I found a “Philip Morris-funded Foundation for a Smoke-free World”, but nothing about ads.
TRUTH was funded by tobacco giants—because the government made them. It was a settlement agreement, if I’m remembering correctly.
Honestly I think they make those TRUTH ads as cringy as possible to make people hate them. Every time I see one I hate it so much it makes me want to start smoking again.