NO ART ON A DEAD PLANET: ACTIVISTS DISRUPT CHRISTIE'S AUCTION

November 11, 2023 
xrnyc_press@unitedrebellion.com

NO ART ON A DEAD PLANET: ACTIVISTS DISRUPT CHRISTIE'S AUCTION TO SAY “END FOSSIL FUELS NOW”

Manhattan, New York City – On Saturday morning, Extinction Rebellion activists disrupted art auction house Christie's Impressionist & Modern Works on Paper sale. Two protesters in the audience got up to the podium and shouted, "No art on a dead planet."

The protest highlights the dangers posed by climate change, such as the record 25 weather disasters the U.S. has experienced so far in 2023, each causing at least $1 billion in damage.  These extreme weather events lead to disruptions far more serious than the one caused by the activists at the auction. The protestors warned that the climate crisis is here to stay unless immediate action is taken. They demand an end to fossil fuels, pointing out that climate breakdown will be much more disruptive than their actions.

WHY “NO ART ON A DEAD PLANET”?

The climate and ecological crisis threatens everything we love, including art. This action and similar ones are the response of a movement that has tried all other options. There is no choice now but to engage in unconventional means of protest to bring mass attention to the greatest emergency of our time. Meanwhile, voting, marching, petitioning, and lobbying have all failed and continue to fail. Yet the science makes clear that we have only a very small window of time in which to end fossil fuels and stop carbon emissions. 

The group is also highlighting the fact that extreme weather has already disrupted the art industry. The disruption caused by the activists is far less harmful than the devaluation that climate change will have on the world’s art masterpieces, many of which are worth hundreds of millions today. 

DEMANDS

Recently, Professor Sir Bob Watson, a prominent British climate scientist and former head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, stated that humanity will miss the target to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. At the same time, President Joe Biden has not lived up to his 2020 climate campaign pledges and rhetoric. Even those pledges are  ineffective and weak, in the view of many: policies such as electric cars, carbon capture, or expanded renewables do not adequately resolve the looming catastrophe. Furthermore, the Biden administration’s actions, which include granting permits for fossil fuel oil and gas drilling, production and export, are worse than failure, leading to environmental damage of a greater magnitude than anything previously seen. The Willow Project, a new oil drilling program now under way, and Alaska LNG (liquid natural gas), both commonly referred to as “carbon bombs,” will trigger catastrophic climate breakdown to an extent no known climate technology can undo or repair.

Extinction Rebellion demands that the government tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, halt biodiversity loss, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. These demands reflect the urgency of the existential crisis we face. 

QUOTES

  • "Wealth equals power. There is no room for climate complacency. The ecosystems we rely on are collapsing. So, I ask those in power, where are your priorities? Is that the legacy you want to leave?" said Mun Chong, Extinction Rebellion spokesperson who disrupted the auction. 

  • "This isn't what I want to be doing, but it's necessary because we're in a crisis. While the affluent continue to spend extravagantly, the poorest are already experiencing the impacts of climate breakdown. The reality is that even the wealthy are at risk," said Jim Hicks, Extinction Rebellion activist who disrupted the auction.

  • “Billions of people are about to be displaced by climate disaster. With rising shortages in food and water, the risk of war and social collapse are increasing. Current policy is too little, too late. Even if all cars were electric, running entirely on renewable energy, things would still be grim,” said Laura Cole, Extinction Rebellion activist.

  • "We’re not going to stop disrupting, because nature is only getting started. The orange skies and the flooding in New York City this year are just the beginning," said Jack Baldwin, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion.

  • “We’re in a crisis! Everything needs to be disrupted, until we all admit to ourselves how fucked we are,” said Miles Grant, an Extinction Rebellion spokesman. 

About Extinction Rebellion

There’s almost no time left to address the climate and ecological crisis, including the sixth mass extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change. Scientists and other credible sources believe that social collapse and mass death are inevitable 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:

  • Tell the Truth - Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.

  • Act Now - Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

  • Beyond Politics - Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

  • Just Transition - Government must commit to a just transition in order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.

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Hashtag: #EndFossilFuels, #NoArtOnADeadPlanet, #NoNewOil

press, actionsLaura Cole