For too long, no major party has met the climate crisis with the seriousness and urgency it demands. But this year, in response to the IPCC report, the incredible grassroots campaigning around a Green New Deal, the inspiring Youth Climate Strikes, and undoubtedly, Extinction Rebellion (XR), the political landscape has finally shifted.
XR has tried to put itself ‘beyond politics’, steering clear of parliamentary machinations, in a bid to broaden its appeal and express the urgency and scale of the crisis to as many people as possible. But with the most important election of a generation looming in the UK, is it now time for XR to use its reach to grapple directly with the workings of this country?
This is a plea to everyone in XR, both the rebels on the ground and those in organising and leadership roles. It is a plea not to abandon their principles, but to uphold them to their fullest.
