A former car worker will protest with Extinction Rebellion Oxford this weekend because he believes a “better future is possible”.
Christian Silk, 55, joined the environmental movement three years ago when he and his wife attended a protest in London in place of their children, who were studying their A Levels and unable to go.
Following the event, Mr Silk and his wife were left in tears at their home “thinking what future we were leaving for our children”.
READ MORE: Extinction Rebellion posters placed in Oxford for London protest
“It was at that point we both thought we should try and do something to try and be more active and push for a habitable planet for future generations.
“We strongly believe that a better future is possible. We can have a more just future, a less polluted future and a more sustainable future.
“The only way we saw to achieve that was by joining Extinction Rebellion,” he said.
This Saturday, April 9, the environmental activism group will undertake actions in the capital which will see them protest the fossil fuel economy.
The Oxford branch of Extinction Rebellion will take a white elephant, Nellie, to London on Monday, April 11. The elephant will be used by the group to engage members of the public about the topic of climate change.
“We need to stop burning fossil fuel, we need a just transition over to a fossil fuel free future.
“We have printed out lots of leaflets and we will be trying to talk to people about where the Government is taking us at the moment and how we can create a more just future for all of us.
“A future that is sustainable, so I can retire somewhere that it beautiful, clean and unpolluted and my children have a future and their children have a future. We have got to start thinking about future generations and looking after this beautiful planet of ours,” he explained.
Mr Silk used to work in the car industry but is now studying for an MSc in Sustainability and Behaviour Change at the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales.
He decided to refocus his energy on sustainability so he could “devote as much time as possible to protecting the planet”.
However, it was not until Mr Silk began working with Extinction Rebellion that he realised how “unjust” the climate crisis is, particularly for communities in the global south.
He said: “I think it is a really unjust the fact that pollution is being created by the super-rich and it’s the poor and more deprived parts of humanity that are suffering.”
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