Friday Nudge: Civil Disobedience for the Climate

This week's Friday Five dives into climate protests around the world. Are you willing to be arrested for the cause of mitigating global heating?

Welcome! I am Jessica Hetherington, and this newsletter is about faith and climate action. You can subscribe by clicking here:

NASA Climate scientist Peter Kalmus was arrested in April 2022 for chaining himself to the doors of JP Morgan Chase Bank in downtown Los Angeles to raise awareness about climate heating. https://www.fastcompany.com/90739998/meet-a-climate-scientist-who-just-risked-arrest-to-save-the-planet.

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Friday Five – 5 Recent Climate Change Protests

Have never considered protesting climate change before? Does the idea of civil disobedience or risking arrest make you fearful? Or do you think you are too old/tired/cautious/etc. to do so?

Upon her most recent arrest for participating in a nonviolent protest of civil disobedience outside an oil terminal in Malmö, Sweden, Greta Thunberg said:

“The laws have to be changed. We know that we cannot save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed.”

What I am becoming convinced about is that we need more acts of civil disobedience, here and around the world. If there were protests in every community around the globe, if we were to see more and more people, young, middle-aged, and old, taking to the streets, risking arrest, we would begin to see the will of industry and government bend. We will begin to see the changes to policy and law, we will begin to see the actions that need to happen to limit global heating and transform society for the future.

Here is your Friday Five for this week; 5 examples of climate protests around the world. Whoever you are, wherever you are, I hope that these examples inspire you to take direct action on behalf of the Earth community and all who live within it. Civil disobedience can be discipleship in action.

1. Greta Thunberg charged with disobeying Swedish police during oil protest [Sweden]

2. Climate change is the legacy of people over the age of 60. That’s why we must protest [US]

3. Worried about their grandkids' future, more seniors are taking up the climate fight [Canada]

4. Activists ground private jets for 6.5 hours at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport  [Netherlands]

5. Just Stop Oil: What is it and what does it want? [UK]

Photo by Vincent M.A. Janssen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-holding-banner-2561628/

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