Extinction Rebellion at it again.

[Pies4shaw]

You certainly have a lot of extraordinary and anti-democratic values.

[David]

[stui magpie]

Anyone who hasn't heard of their cause by now has been living in a cave, so they're achieving precisely nothing except pissing people off and chewing up Police resources while they engage in this mutual masturbatory exercise.

Protest marches are so 1960's.

Maybe some original thinking about how to leverage modern tech like social media to put pressure on the key targets instead of stupid stunts?

[David]

There's a big difference between hearing of a cause and having it sufficiently front of mind at any one point in time to want to do anything about it.

Now, I agree that it's possible a given protest might be more alienating than capable of generating community sympathy (and let's not forget that some protests can be very effective, to the extent of bringing entire governments down, as we've seen overseas – and effective protests of course long predate the 1960s and will occur long after we're dead). But that's hard to measure at the best of times, and I guess the important question is whether the powers that be interpret protests as any kind of reflection of community sentiment. If they do, then pressure is being exerted, and if that pressure translates to policy change then the battle has been won.

[5 from the wing on debut]

There's a large Melbourne CBD protest going on now with police vehicles everywhere. Queen Street is blocked off at Collins Street.I don't know whether it's the dress up Extinction Rebellion people though. More likely public servants that don't want to come back to the office.

[stui magpie]

Reported on the radio, it's the extinction dweebs blocking intersections

[Pi]

So what are these people actually achieving? Nothing that benefits their apparent cause. Volunteering to sort garbage at a recycling centre would be more useful; but we can be fairly sure they don’t do that.
These direct action theatrical protests and their disruptions are more likely to be about the ego of the activist and what makes them feel good about themselves. Shouting slogans and smearing toxic paint on walls may well bring them satisfaction but are of zero value, more likely to discredit any environmental cause. The media being sympathetic to them rather than pointing out the obvious doesn’t help either.

How about this guy; a smart person working hard and actually coming up with a solution to a global pollution problem is worth more than a thousand morons blocking traffic.
https://time.com/5389782/boyan-slat-plastic-ocean-cleanup/

And no not one radical fu#@ck wit blocking traffic inspired him to do it.

The ability to solve problems and studying engineering did that.

[stui magpie]

^

100% spot on.

[watt price tully]

[Pi]

^
Mule manure

I currently design and build systems for the production of solar inverters; amongst other assorted projects; a lot of it now renewable energy.

Sustainable local manufacturing actually makes sense.

Fairly sure I make more of a practical contribution than most; stopping me from working helps no one.

And all paint is toxic to some degree; that's why you cant wash it down the sink. If you don't agree , take the PI challenge; drink a pint of water based wall paint and let me know how you feel in the morning.

[stui magpie]

But in the fantasy world of the protesters, government and big business should be able to snap their fingers and generate electricity from nothing and shut down all mining with no adverse consequences and we all live happily ever after.

[Pies4shaw]

It's good to have a goal - and, frankly, theirs is nowhere near as silly as the parrot-droppings used to justify the continuing use of fossil fuels.

[stui magpie]

You have NFI. Really.

The sun doesn't shine at night and the wind doesn't always blow. So what do you propose is used to provide reliable baseload back up energy to compliment increasing renewables?

[watt price tully]

[Pies4shaw]

Stui, is that based on your considered view that there is no other device in the known universe that can generate electricity and it can't be stored in any way?