NO DOGS ON A DEAD PLANET
May 11, 2024
CLIMATE ACTIVISTS DISRUPT WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW TO WARN: “NO DOGS ON A DEAD PLANET”
Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York City – On Saturday May 11, activists from Extinction Rebellion disrupted the Masters Agility Championship Finals of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, a disruption far less severe than any that an extreme weather event might cause.
Extinction Rebellion isn’t protesting any individuals or organizations at the dog show with this action. Rather, the protest highlights the dangers climate change poses globally. Case in point: the last 13 months were the hottest on record, with extreme weather events nearly everywhere. The activists pointed out that natural disasters are already causing significant damage to infrastructure, property, and agriculture, and resulting in loss of both animal and human life.
WHY “NO DOGS ON A DEAD PLANET?”
Climate catastrophe threatens everything we love on this planet, including dogs. Heat waves can be devastating and painful for dogs, causing burnt paw pads, heat exhaustion, heat stroke — and death. Heat waves have also led to the cancellation of dog shows.
We humans are less concerned about vulnerable wildlife than we are about pet dogs. All animals are mutually dependent, including humans, and humans, too, will suffer as animals become increasingly vulnerable and head towards extinction. Dog shows, which focus on the beauty of animals rather than on their essential role in ecosystems or on their survival, are a poignant illustration of this.
During a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, actor Jeremy Strong responded to Extinction Rebellion’s disruption of his Broadway performance in An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen, saying that he’d “be a hypocrite if [he] didn’t support what [the climate activists] were saying.” Strong understands that to achieve the necessary change, we must first acknowledge the truth of the current situation.
This dog show protest action and similar ones are the response of a movement that has tried all other approaches, and run out of options. Voting, marching, petitioning, and lobbying have all failed, and they continue to fail. The science makes clear that a very small window of time remains in which to cut carbon emissions drastically. There is no choice now but to engage in unconventional forms of protest to bring attention to the severity of the climate and nature emergency.
DEMANDS
The world’s top climate scientists expect that in this century, global temperatures will rise to at least 2.5C (4.5F) above preindustrial levels, surpassing internationally agreed targets. Our political, economic, and social systems are proving incapable of addressing the challenges posed by modern civilization.
A discussion of demands and solutions requires a collective understanding of the issues we face. Most climate solutions now being presented, such as electric cars, carbon capture, and switching to renewable energy, are inadequate responses to the climate catastrophe unfolding before our eyes.
To discuss benefits and drawbacks of proposed solutions, we first need to understand the global context. Any discussion of real alternatives is impossible without agreed-upon baseline facts and without prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable. The United Nations has warned that humanity faces a “code red” situation as a result of our unsustainable practices. Right now, millions of people are facing climate catastrophe, suffering the effects of our collective unsustainable lives. Extinction Rebellion demands citizens assemblies to determine next steps, and recognizes that we must act now.
See photos and videos here. We own the content linked, and you have permission to use it, with attribution to Extinction Rebellion NYC.
QUOTES
“We are not protesting dog lovers, nor are we protesting the dog show. We are demanding that we all acknowledge the reality of the climate catastrophe that is unfolding before us all. If we don’t disrupt, nature will! Nature’s disruption will last much longer”, said Miles Grant, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
“Climate catastrophe is already happening across the world right now. In the last month we’ve seen extreme floods in Dubai, Nairobi, Southern Brazil, northern China, and throughout Russia. Millions have been displaced. It may not be happening to you right here, right now, but it will be soon. It’s already late! We have to act now,” said Laura Be, an Extinction Rebellion activist.
“Here in New York City, the weather has been getting less predictable and more extreme. This will be our new normal unless we all act soon. We want the dog show to continue for generations to come! If we don’t act now, that won’t be possible,” said Meredith Faltin, an Extinction Rebellion activist.
“We are told that carbon capture, electric cars, and recycling will avert the climate calamities we’re seeing more and more often. We all know that that won’t be enough. The only climate solution that actually matters is to eliminate the fossil fuel and animal agriculture industries,” said Jack Baldwin, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
“Millions of people around the world are finding that it is too hot, too wet, or too dry to survive. This catastrophe is coming to a dog show near you, unless we acknowledge the truth and act now”, said Mar Kelly, an Extinction Rebellion activist.
“Climate breakdown will result in drought and famine. Under such conditions, animals in captivity and in the wild will also suffer from a lack of food. We and animals will face a similar fate unless we act now, understanding that all life on earth is equally at risk. We are all connected. We need animals in order to survive,” said Mun Chong, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
“Ocean warming is currently causing the fourth global mass coral bleaching event. Coral reefs support 25% of life in the ocean. This will have a ripple effect on ecosystem collapse. About 80% of the oxygen that we breathe comes from the ocean. To continue breathing, we have to have a healthy ocean,” said Mun Chong, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
About Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on the climate and nature emergency.
Extinction Rebellion exists because the conventional approaches: voting, writing to politicians and signing petitions, have failed. Powerful political and economic interests and the outdated political system itself prevent change. Our strategy is therefore one of nonviolent, disruptive civil disobedience – a rebellion.
The climate crisis is here and now. It’s happening all around us, hitting some harder than others. Extinction Rebellion demands that all of us, especially major institutions and governments, tell the truth about the ongoing sixth mass extinction. Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with their government’s criminal inaction.
Internationally, Extinction Rebellion has been demanding that those with power act now to halt the worst of the climate catastrophe currently unfolding. Unlike other climate advocacy groups, Extinction Rebellion understands that we must lead by example, modeling the decision-making needed to address this crisis. Only by going beyond politics and establishing citizens assemblies can we adequately achieve the fair and just transition we need.
Leading by example, Extinction Rebellion is fighting for a more stable, sustainable world.