Civil disobedience from climate activists have been circulating all over the media, the most popular being when two Just Stop Oil protests threw soup over a Van Gough painting on October 14. 

Shortly after on October 17th  two protesters climbed Queen Elizabeth bridge and hanged there for 36 hours before the police escorted them down. Morgan Trowland while up on the bridge said “I am not willing to sit back and watch everything I love burn” 

Controversially, on October 31st climate protesters from Letzte Generation organization stopped emergency services reaching injured cyclist due to a traffic jam that had been caused by them gluing themselves to a key junction in Berlin. 

These events and others have all occurred in quick succession causing some to question what this is achieving. However, recent history also shows that these more extreme actions can direct a change:  

 In 2019, Extinction Rebellion protests took place to demand a declaration of a climate emergency. At the time energy minister, Claire Perry, rejected the idea of declaring a climate emergency, saying: “I worry that many of the messages we are hearing ignore the progress that is being made, and as such make people fearful for the future rather than hopeful.”  Yet soon after MPs approved a motion to declare a climate emergency which increased numbers of politicians – certainly on the opposition benches – to acknowledge that it is the biggest challenge facing humanity.  

Although these events cause much disruption, history does suggest more extreme actions can gather attention to critical issues but where these might go next is a growing concern. Is there a tipping point that creates resentment and anger undoing progress that has been made. The debate continues as to whether extreme climate protests make a difference or confuse the message.