Vivika Sahajpal
With the rise of social media activism and the appearance of figures like Greta Thunberg, the public’s concern for climate change has increased in recent years. With this, so has the level of actionable activism surrounding it. Protests have become more and more extreme, with increasing vandalism, destruction and disruption. Vivika Sahajpal delves into the effectiveness of these forms of protest.
Just Stop Oil is a group aiming to end ‘all new licences and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK’, essentially stopping any further oil usage. Committed to this mission, they proudly post press releases of their protests – including blocking roads and vandalism – on their website. With calls to action like: “Sign up to help us change history”, their main focus is our survival on a planet we’re slowly killing.
They wanted to show how, as a society, we value art and fundamentally superficial things over life
As seen in the news recently, The National Gallery was recently on the receiving end of one of these vandalism protests. Two activists from Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and then glued themselves to the wall beneath the painting.
‘What is worth more, art or life?’
The initial confusion for many, when news of this protest hit the headlines, was how a revered piece of artwork and tomato soup linked to stopping oil usage. The public’s surge of anger and outrage demonstrated the answer to this question. One of the activists also explained this. With her hand glued to the wall, she asked, “Are you more concerned about the protection of a painting or the protection of our planet and people?”
As stated on their website, Just Stop Oil was aware that there was a protective glass screen in front of the painting and their aim was not to genuinely destroy a priceless piece of work. Instead, they wanted to show how, as a society, we value art and fundamentally superficial things over life. Whilst that might’ve seemed like a ridiculous accusation before this protest, the outraged reaction from Twitter makes it a more realistic notion.
However, at what stage will an ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality lead to self-destruction?
Another aspect of this protest to look at is the art itself. Although potentially unintentional, the choice of that painting made another important point linked to climate change. For Van Gogh, the sunflowers symbolised gratitude. By vandalising a painting of nature that represented gratitude in the name of climate activism, Just Stop Oil inadvertently emphasised how badly we treat the planet despite the gratitude we should have for it.
The impermanence and history of the painting can be seen as insignificant compared to the history of the planet we inhabit and wish to keep inhabiting. The lingering question that remains from this is: why, as a society, and as a species, are we more concerned with the apparent destruction of paint on a canvas than the destruction of our home?
If destruction and disruption can influence society for the greater good, does that make it ethical?
The vastness of time that we need to comprehend to understand climate change is immense and frankly overwhelming. However, at what stage will an ‘ignorance is bliss’ mentality lead to self-destruction? Whilst it might be in the back of people’s minds, the majority of the population will go about their lives without the weight of our survival as a species hanging over their heads.
The Just Stop Oil activists spoke about individuals being affected by corporations
The mentality of climate activists is that, for there to be a significant change, climate change should be a present, real concern at the forefront of people’s minds. Continuous acts of protest raise awareness and spark conversation; they make significant issues prominent and they unquestionably get people talking.
However, the effectiveness of something doesn’t necessarily make it right. The Just Stop Oil activists spoke about individuals being affected by corporations, but their protests also affect individuals: The staff and security at the national gallery who have to deal with the aftermath; or at a more extreme level, the effects of road-blocking protests. These can affect emergency vehicles and potentially cost lives. The fallout from these protests begs the question of what we should and shouldn’t be willing to do in the name of the survival of the species.
Groups like Just Stop Oil are at risk of stigmatising conversations around climate change
Does this help or hinder the mission?
The extremity of some of these protests has often led to an overwhelmingly negative reaction gradually making climate change and activism synonymous with nuisance and disruption. This pulls the focus away from the global issue at hand towards the inconveniences of first-world problems. Groups like Just Stop Oil are at risk of stigmatising conversations around climate change by equating them too strongly with disruption. Many climate activist groups have been villainised by mass media for this disruption which is then hindering the cause they’re pushing so hard to promote.
It is undeniable that we need to change how we are acting if we want to ensure our survival as a species; it is obvious that global change is necessary, and it is clear that that must start at the top. In a society ruled by self-interest and governed by greed, is destruction the only successful method of drawing attention to the imminence and severity of an ever-growing issue that could end in our extinction?
Vivika Sahajpal
Featured image courtesy of Markus Spiske via Pexels. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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