Extinction Rebellion's "Polly Higgins" boat comes to Newlands Corner
The environmental action group Extinction Rebellion have brought a boat to Newlands Corner.
A tweet thread from one of the group’s local chapters says:
We are nature defending itself
The #ExtinctionRebellion boat moored at the top of the North Downs at #NewlandsCorner is named for Polly Higgins, founder of @EcocideLaw. The #Climate & #EcologicalEmergency affects all life on Earth, everywhere.
Join us: 9th April 10am Hyde Park
Climate change and development pressure are affecting the sensitive and rare landscapes of #Surrey and it’s biodiversity is under threat. Of 4224 species recorded 12% are already extinct, 7% threatened or near threatened and 14% are declining. We must #ActNow
Polly Higgins was an author, barrister and environmental advocate who passed away in 2019. She co-founded Stop Ecocide International, an initiative to make ecocide an international crime:
Ecocide is a word to describe what is happening to our planet; the mass damage and destruction of the natural living world. It literally means “killing one’s home”. And right now, in most of the world, no-one is held responsible. It’s time to change the rules. It’s time to protect our home. We are working, together with a growing global network of lawyers, diplomats, and across all sectors of civil society, towards making ecocide an international crime.
As Polly said in a 2017 interview:
What do I choose to do in this lifetime that people will carry on doing for many generations to come? I know in my heart of hearts that what I am doing – and not just me, hundreds of thousands of us, Earth Protectors – will be a huge collective legacy for future generations and it is very exciting to be part of that. To get that ball rolling and to allow others to carry it forward. Our work will continue after us. Of course the steps we choose to put in place in our lives always leave ripples that enter into other people’s lives in ways that we don’t even know. How we choose to engage with life is very, very important.
If you’d like to find out more about the activities of Exitinction Rebellion in Mole Valley, you can see the websites and social media accounts of local groups such as XR South East UK, XR Dorking and XR Surrey.