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Since May of 2022, attempted vandalism of important art pieces or historic location's has ramped up, but why? Well, the primary reason climate activists say why they do this is because, "There can be no art in a destroyed world" according to many climate change organization's. The first noticeable attempt of protest was in May of 2022, when protester's threw cake on the Mona Lisa. This, now disbanded, group called Riposte Alimentaire (food counterattack) threw cake on the Mona Lisa stating that people should "think of earth" instead of looking at art. There have been many such actions including people throwing tomato soup at Van Gogh's sunflower painting and mashed potatoes being thrown on Monets art in Germany. But why don't they succeed in their mission to spread awareness about the detrimental effects of climate change?
Shortcomings in spreading information:
Many climate activist groups have fallen short when it comes to spreading information to the general public due to the fact that frankly, many common people don't care. In the eyes of most people interviewed about why they ignore people spreading information, the most common answer is, "if it isn't costing me anything, why should I care?" Many of these issues have lead to protest groups to either disband or start doing more attention drawing actions like gluing their hands to a roadway while holding signs or protesting outside of major public events.
Reoccurring issues with the public:
Many protest groups have become alienated by the public due to the action's they commit like trying to destroy valuable pieces of artwork or history, or gluing their hands to roadways during rush hour. These actions are leading to the public to see them as no good and bad people while not listening to anything the protestors have to say because they are disrupting daily lives or some type of vacation.
What is their mission?:
Many of these groups mission is to raise awareness about our rapidly changing climate and the devastating affects it not only can and will have on ecosystems all over the world but also to people all over the globe. They try to get information out to people and try to get others to push lawmakers to make more pro-green bill or laws for the state or country they represent.
Criminal charges many are facing:
Many of the climate change protestors are facing criminal charges of criminal mischief along with being fined by museums. Criminal mischief is defined by law as, "intentionally or recklessly damaging or destroying someone else's property without their effective consent." While most drop the charges, they still have to pay up to $500,000 in damage to the museum or to the location they caused damage.
Legitimate impacts to the environment:
A United States government source stated that, "Climate change affects the environment in many different ways, including rising temperatures, sea level rise, drought, flooding, and more. These events affect things that we depend upon and value, like water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health." But how? we have started to notice that
summers are much hotter compared to pre 2020, and winters are much more brutal and colder along with the rise of temperatures in the gulf coast and the pacific. These rises in temperatures could lead to more fires and the death of many types of fish and animals. Along with heat, the cold could damage and destroy critical infrastructure which could lead to other issues.
The two maps show the change in average temperature from 2020 to 2024 in the United States. This is just shocking how quickly some places went from having a moderate to colder climate to a hot or above average monthly average.
(credit to https://www.climate.gov/ for the information and images.)
My opinion:
I personally think that while yes, protesting is good, the way they choose to operate and express their opinion is not. While yes, they should be at these popular and important places to protest or express their opinion, I don't believe they should be trying to destroy precious and or valuable pieces of art. I believe they should go to big places and protest or give out information to the public instead of committing actions that cause the public to alienate their causes and beliefs. At least leading a pamphlet of some kind at peoples doors will spark conversation because people or their children might read it and talk about it.
for more information from a globally based source visit: https://climatenetwork.org/resource_type/publications/
Hello, I am Cesar Mejia, a sophomore and first year member of the Poudre press. Things I like to do in my free time include taking pictures of sports, playing video games, watching collegiate football, and making food. This year I hope to be able to cover a wide range of topics, not just sports, to help keep members of the community and my school involved in things going on in the world, community, and sports.
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