• 24 women have locked on to Parliament railings with body paint bearing the consequences of a 4°C world on their chests.
• Extinction Rebellion are calling on the Government to communicate the risk of a 4°C world, which we are on course for by 2100 if we don’t take action now.
• Last night, the Climate Assembly UK  report placed ‘education and information about climate change and the steps needed to tackle it’ as the top priority for government, businesses and individuals in the path to net zero. 
• This action comes after XR blocked the Murdoch press distribution to highlight the lack of reporting on the climate crisis and the implications of a 4°C hotter world. 
• The action comes on the last of a series of actions by Extinction Rebellion calling for the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill to be passed by Parliament

At 9:30am on 10 September a group of 24 women from Extinction Rebellion have locked-on to Parliament railings using D-locks around their necks, with a banner reading ‘Can’t Bare the Truth?’ and wearing face masks branded with ‘4°C’. Across their bare chests they have exposed the near-term consequences of a 4°C hotter world, including ‘war’, ‘drought’, ‘starvation’, ‘wild-fires’, ‘violence’ and ‘famine’.

The risk is here and the consequences laid bare are immediate threats, already facing many in the global south and the UK this century. Speakers from a variety of groups will be talking about the threats we face as we head towards 4°C of warming and the steps we, our Government and our media, need to take to mitigate the worst effects. 

Speeches were given by representatives of the following groups:

• Stop the War Coalition
• Global Strike / Black Lives Matter
• Animal Rebellion
• Global Food Crisis / Money Rebellion
• XR Youth
• Women’s Rights

The women have taken action to highlight government failure to communicate the severity of the climate and ecological crisis to the public. In June this year Committee on Climate Change, the Government’s official climate advisors, released their report detailing what progress has been made one year on from the adoption of the target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The report reveals a staggering lack of progress, with only four of the 21 indicators on track and two of 31 milestones reached on the road to net zero emissions. [1]

The report maps the range of climate risks for the UK using 2˚C to 4˚C scenarios with little practical reference to the Paris Climate Agreement’s advised temperature limit of 1.5˚C, advising all departments to plan for “a minimum 2°C rise in global temperature with consideration of 4°C.”

This comes on the day that the UK Climate Assembly, made up of a representative proportion of the UK public, placed ‘education and information about climate change and the steps needed to tackle it’ as the top priority for government, businesses and individuals in the path to net zero. [2]

Teacher and member of Extinction Rebellion Sarah Mintram, who took part in the action, said: “Now we’ve got your attention… By neglecting to communicate the consequences of a 4˚C world – war, famine, drought, displacement – the Government are failing to protect us. Preparing for a 4˚C increase in temperatures is failing the next generation and those in the global south already suffering the most dire consequences. 

“We saw last night that the Climate Assembly UK is calling for ‘more education and information about climate change and the steps needed to tackle it’. The UK people are asking for information, so why is the Government staying silent? Why is Boris, his Government and Murdoch’s press empire ignoring the gravity of the greatest threat life has ever faced? This is the truth laid bare. Why don’t they care?” 

Notes to editors

[1] Reducing UK emissions: 2020 Progress Report to Parliament

Reducing UK emissions: 2020 Progress Report to Parliament

[2] https://www.climateassembly.uk/

ABOUT EXTINCTION REBELLION

Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction, global pollution, and increasingly rapid climate change. If urgent and radical action isn’t taken, we’re heading towards 4˚C warming, and the societal collapse and mass loss of life that that implies. The younger generation, racially marginalised communities and the Global South are on the front-line. No-one will escape the devastating impacts.

Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.

Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:

1. Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2. Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

What Emergency? | Extinction Rebellion in Numbers |This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook 

Get involved

• In the UK, come to one of our events, join the Rebellion Network and let us know how you can help out.
• Start a group where you are: in the UK or around the world.
• Find your local group.
• Check out the International XR website, with links to the French, German, Italian and UK websites.
• And while your time and energy are of most importance, if you are financially able to donate money, see our crowdfunder.

About Rising Up!

Extinction Rebellion emerged from the Rising Up! network, which promotes a fundamental change of our political and economic system to one which maximises well-being and minimises harm. Change needs to be nurtured in a culture of reverence, gratitude and inclusion while the tools of civil disobedience and direct action are used to express our collective power.