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Extinction Rebellion Dublin rally hears calls to ‘stand up and fight’ for the environment

With the WWF’s recent report showing that global wildlife populations have decreased by 60% over the last forty years (!) – November 17, 2018 marked the day on which thousands of people gathered across the world for ‘Extinction Rebellions’. From London to Copenhagen and Melbourne to Madrid, protests were organised to push action against pollution, deforestation and climate change. Climate Case Ireland was present at the rally in Dublin, which was covered by the Irish Times:

“At a rally outside the National History Museum and Leinster House an estimated crowd of 500 people – many of them families with small children – heard calls for people to “take back our future and stand up for the living planet”.

Micheál Callaghan, one of our spokespersons for Climate Case Ireland, spoke during the event. As the article mentions: “[Micheál Callaghan] said the organisation was taking the Irish Government to court for failing to take action to avert dangerous climate change. The case is due in January.”

Among the speakers, we were also honoured to have two very young, concerned citizens speaking. As the article continues:

“Fellow environmentalist 11-year-old Flossie Donnelly, who was one of the first to report plastic contamination of bathing waters and the shore in Dún Laoghaire in recent weeks, introduced herself to sustained applause with the words “my name is Flossie and I clean the beach”… Dara McAnulty (14) from Fermanagh called for a boycott of palm oil, single-use plastics and and end to the use of fossil fuels. He said the planet was being handed over to a new generation in a worse condition than that in which it had been inherited.”

Continuing the list of speakers, “Pádraic Fogarty of the Irish Wildlife trust said it was “extremely appropriate to be angry” about climate change and species extinction as the planet was being “whittled away for greed and profit”. He was followed by Bríd Smith TD who said the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had determined there may only be 12 years remaining where meaningful action can be taken to avert dangerous climate breakdown. She said the report should “send shivers down the spine” of the Government which she said “fiddled while the planet burns”.