Google Cancels April Fools Prank in Time of Seriousness, Extinction Rebellion Urges Them to Take Climate and Ecological Destruction Seriously
For Immediate Release
April 2, 2020
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Google Cancels April Fools Prank in Time of Seriousness, Extinction Rebellion Urges Them to Take Climate and Ecological Destruction Seriously
As Google cancels its annual April Fools Hoax, Extinction Rebellion New York urges them to take the climate seriously too and stop funding climate denial
Google funds climate denial to protect themselves from libel in a broken policy system
Our current system is not fit for purpose in responding to crises; we must put look to alternative models of democracy to do what our legislatures won’t or can’t do
New York, NY - Yesterday, April 1, Extinction Rebellion NYC imagined a world in which Google announced, “This crisis has caused Google to reflect on how critical it is to respond to another global emergency: climate change.” Through a parody website, agreenergoogle.com, as well as social media posts Extinction Rebellion presented an April Fools prank in which Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet appeared to make an announcement that it would stop handing “substantial contributions” to think tanks, such as Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), that deliver disinformation and their lobbying power to help make such rollbacks happen.
More than 1,000 Twitter accounts shared the posts, as well as hundreds on Facebook and Instagram, hoping for a world in which this was true. MarketWatch reported the story as true, later posting that it was a prank. In only 48 hours, these posts received more than 4 million impressions and the website received more than 100,000 unique visitors.
"We hope Google employees hear about this and demand that Google stop funding climate denial," says Tom Hoy, coordinator of the Tech Action project within New York's Extinction Rebellion chapter. In October, a Guardian exposé shed light on Google's funding of lobbying groups that discourage climate action. Some employees at Google have already spoken out about the issue.
"After I joined the Global Climate Strike and read the Amazon workers' demands, I realized the support I provide to the oil business puts CO2 in the atmosphere, the revenue I bring in is funding climate-denying politicians, and the growth I facilitate increases carbon-releasing energy production," said David Newgas, a technical program manager for the Google Cloud Platform.
Our battle with coronavirus (COVID-19) has revealed the failure of our government to respond to crises like pandemics or climate or ecological emergencies. Extinction Rebellion is calling for widespread system change, including corporations, media and the government telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergency and acting like there is an emergency, and the creation of Citizens’ Assemblies to set policy on climate and ecological justice. A Citizens’ Assembly is composed of community members who are presented evidence on a subject and asked to work together to define policy in response to that issue.
While Google has positioned itself as “green” by powering data centers with renewable energy and buying carbon credits, all of their efforts pale in comparison to what the government can accomplish on this issue. As long as Google continues to fund the lobbying efforts and misinformation campaigns of climate denying think tanks, they will continue to be responsible for the destruction of our homes and children’s futures, making them a target for environmentalists across the globe.
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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 abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices, with human extinction also a possibility, if rapid action is not taken.
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:
Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.
Government must commit to a just transition in order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.
Extinction Rebellion was started in the United Kingdom in 2018. The movement now has over 800 chapters in more than 70 countries and has inspired over 20 national declarations of climate and ecological emergencies.Their nonviolent direct actions have resulted in thousands of arrests around the world and they were called the “world’s most high profile environmental movement” by CNN. They have shut down bridges in the UK and New York City, delivered a truckload of manure to COP 25 and covered the Wall Street Bull in blood.
What Emergency? | Extinction Rebellion in Numbers |This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook