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It’s a tricky one protesting against climate change.

it seems we are all guilty of hypocrisy unless we live the life of ‘Swampy’ and only forage for food and make our own loin cloths.

Unfortunately this all or nothing attitude doesn’t fit modern society, we all have to live and work with a dose of reality around us. There is nothing wrong with wanting change at government level to cut greenhouse gases etc whilst still owning a car for example.

Who knows how far that family had travelled in their car to protest - again, it’s a bit of a catch 22, they believe in the protest but may live in the sticks with the only method of transport available to them to get to that city being the car, who knows?

Certainly here in the UK the government is not putting enough money or effort into providing alternative transport options that are greener - I live in a small town and the roads are simply too dangerous, too full of motorised vehicles and really unpleasant to cycle on during peak hours. Build segregated cycle ways and you the people will use them, especially kids riding to school. Currently very few do because the  roads are so dangerous. Those that do ride on the pavements (who can blame them?) which leads to other problems for pedestrian safety.

I drive a car to work and back - it is potentially cycle commutable being 18 miles away, but would be over 20 avoiding the manic main road. BUT, I work variable shifts with commute times that can be literally ANY time of day or night. I often get up at 03:00 for the drive to work, the thought of having to get up at 02:00 in order to ride to work in whatever weather simply doesn’t cut it for me. Add the complexity of having to wear a uniform and carry a heavy bag plus the issue of showering and a locker and then contingency for punctures etc and fatigue setting in (I already suffer it due to work induced sleep deprivation) in a safety critical industry, then the car has to win out.

This doesn’t mean that I am not concerned about climate change and want our government to do more. I drive about 8000 miles a year, which is significantly less than I used to and continue to do ‘marginal gains’ where they can be fitted in to a hectic lifestyle. I upgraded our boiler to one which is significantly more efficient and cleaner. My wife ‘polices’ my use of carrier bags, as she does our three sons! I cycle into our local town rather than drive now when it is just for errands or a coffee etc. I have adapted my driving style and now (I must be getting old) see it as a mission to get the mpg figure as high as I can on my dash as I drive to and from work, I coast rather than brake when I can, keep the revs below 2000rpm as I pull away and try to ‘zoom’ going down hill to crest the next undulation without putting my boot down. It is amazing just how many more mpg you can get by adapting your driving style.

Sure I could do more, but don’t castigate me and everyone around who isn’t living in a tree house eating nuts and seeds (I do eat nuts and seeds, just not exclusively!) We need to work together and accept that everyone is different and has a different lifestyle and it will take years to change not only individuals but governements. The mass public inherently don’t like change, they prefer the status quo unless they see an obvious benefit here and now. We are all guilty of having our heads in the sand for generations but this is changing. We will get there, but fighting amongst ourselves about who is holier than thou is just going to cause friction and disagreement.

PP

Edited to add that it’s also not obvious which is the greener option sometimes as it is not as clear cut as one might think at face value. Take electric cars for example. Just how green are they when you look at the full lifecycle? I don’t know, but the batteries need some heavy mining to get the various chemicals needed in their manufacture and what happens when this battery is done? Can it be recycled? Will we see mountains of these things in the future with no solution to the problem of disposing of them ethically and cost effectively? Presumably the production of electricity for all these cars will be more efficient when done at a power station, but will we be burning gas at an increasing rate to keep up with demand? I just don’t have the facts to make a really informed choice - a friend has been lauding it about his new electric car (a Tesla), he certainly thinks he is doing his bit, but I’m not convinced yet.

Extinction Rebellion could possibly be getting people frustrated enough to use their feet or cycle for small journeys. What will probably happen is those people will sit in queues with their engines running instead. They understimate the power of laziness.