Essay by Eric Worrall
h/t observa; There is no path to appeasement – nothing is ever green enough for climate fanatics.
Climate Protestors Thrown Out Of NY Auto Show After Oiling Ford F-150 Lightning
Climate activists protested the New York Auto Show, claiming that EVs don’t do enough to address climate change
by Sebastien Bell
April 1, 2024 at 12:04
- Climate protestors were dragged out of the New York International Auto Show after pouring liquid on the floor and onto an electric Ford F-150 Lightning.
- The group behind the action, Extinction Rebellion, says that EVs don’t do enough to avert a climate disaster.
- The group claims it is not protesting automotive enthusiasts but, instead, the infrastructure decisions that mean millions of Americans have no choice but to buy cars and drive.
Members of the climate activism group Extinction Rebellion were forcibly removed from the 2024 New York International Auto Show this weekend, after pouring what appears to be oil on an electric vehicle, as well as the show floor, while shouting that there are “no EVs on a dead planet.”
The protestors stepped in front of an all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning modified to tackle off-road conditions. The pickup truck had just been rolled out in front of a crowd of people as the auto show opened to the public. While it may seem counterintuitive, the group said it wasn’t protesting automotive enthusiasts, but rather the EV industry.
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“Electric vehicles don’t solve the real problem with cars: wastefully large infrastructure, needlessly complex and resource-intensive construction, and energy inefficiency, even in the case of electric cars,” said Miles Grant, an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson. “Electric vehicles are a popular investment because they don’t disrupt the status quo.”
As a result, the group wants discussions about environmental improvement to include smaller, greener vehicles, and public transportation. CBS reports that the same group protested a performance of the Henrik Ibsen play, “An Enemy Of The People,” on Broadway this month. The play focuses on a man who exposes an unpalatable truth publicly, and is punished for it.
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Read more: https://www.carscoops.com/2024/04/climate-protestors-thrown-out-of-new-york-auto-show-oiling-ford-f-150-lightning/#thread__container
My first thought given the publication date, maybe this was an April Fools joke? But there is a video which looks genuine, and the story has been republished on other outlets.
Another video of the same event.
Extinction Rebellion provided the following explanation on their twitter feed:
From Extinction Rebellion’s press release:
… Automobile production-as-usual won’t be possible on Earth if humanity fails to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. If we continue at our current pace of production expansion, there won’t be enough resources to meet car production demand, EV and gas-powered alike.
Construction of an electric vehicle requires immense amounts of resources that are rare and difficult to obtain. Steel, electronics, batteries (and the lithium they contain), and the concrete and asphalt infrastructure cars require, all involve extremely high-emission production. For every EV produced, 900 kg of highly polluting coal-based steel will be used, which will then go unrecycled due to copper contamination from wiring in EVs. The steel industry, already responsible for 11% of global CO2 emissions and over 10% of global resource extraction, is set to triple in size by 2050, with this growth driven primarily by the auto industry.
Lithium mining is also causing disastrous environmental damage throughout the world, as well as human rights abuses. Lithium batteries are not yet recyclable, and their lifespans are short. Swapping out oil extraction for a different extraction is not a net improvement. As with oil, the resources required for EV production are finite.
In Nevada, Thacker Pass (known as Peehee Mu’huh in Paiute), a vast nature preserve, has the largest known lithium deposit in the country and one of the largest in the world. Following a month of nonviolent protests at the site, six activists are facing lawsuits from Lithium Nevada Corporation. This is an attempt to suppress constitutionally protected free speech and protest. In a groundbreaking move for the American legal system, the defense is asserting a biodiversity necessity defense. …
Read more: https://www.xrebellion.nyc/news/no-electric-vehicles-on-a-dead-planet
Extinction Rebellion is absolutely correct that there is nothing green about EVs. Building electric vehicles from high carbon components, extracting Lithium, rare Earth elements, and Cobalt, have all been criticised for their environmental and human rights impacts. When you add that EVs are recharged using mostly fossil fuel supplied electricity, EVs likely do nothing to reduce emissions.
But Extinction Rebellion’s demand for more public transport or smaller vehicles is unacceptable.
Last time I sat on public transport I sat on a puddle of urine, someone wet the seat and didn’t tell anybody, so no thanks to public transport. And of course there is the enhanced risk of encountering a knife or gun wielding junkie on public transport, especially late at night in crime hotspots like New York.
As for small vehicles, small vehicles in rural Australia and pretty much everywhere else are a death trap.
During my recent road trip into the Aussie outback, I hit numerous feral animals, including a feral pig which darted out suddenly. The high speed collision with the pig lifted the left side of my two ton 4WD 30 degrees off the level road. No damage to the vehicle or occupants, thanks to the big shock absorbers and heavy steel armour plating on the underside of my vehicle. But can you imagine what would have happened if I had hit that same animal while driving one of the little death carts Extinction Rebellion wants us to drive? At the very least my road trip would have ended with an extensive stay in hospital.
Even high population density nations like Britain have significant feral deer populations. I never personally collided with a deer in Britain, though I had a few narrow escapes while driving in rural parts of the home counties, an hour’s drive from London. You don’t have to go far outside town to encounter the risk of colliding with large animals. Sometimes, especially when forage is in short supply, large feral animals intrude deep into cities. Those deer I saw in rural areas near London were more than big enough to wreck a normal vehicle, and put the lives of small vehicle drivers at risk.
Of course, Extinction Rebellion protestors themselves appear to be utter climate hypocrites, wearing a heady mix of oil based synthetic clothing to their protest. More fossil fuel was likely used to produce their machine woven synthetic clothing than was contained in the oil cans they poured on the EV.
Until Extinction Rebellion conduct these protests naked, personally divested of all fossil fuel products, I refuse to take their protests seriously. Environmentalists cannot expect others to accept their accusations of hypocrisy, when they themselves stink of that very same big oil hypocrisy.
Let’s see Extinction Rebellion take inspiration from Lady Godiva, the 11th century Noblewoman who started the feminist and workers rights movements by riding through town naked to protest against unfair treatment of the peasants. They should also avoid all use of artificial deodorants, cosmetics and fossil fuel based chemical body products, and only use natural products such as Native American mineral paints extracted by hand from traditional local sources, which they collected in person.
Then nobody will call Extinction Rebellion hypocrites and fools, right?
Much better to cover the countryside with solar panels, wind farms, and rail lines? Yeah, that’s not resource intensive at all, and oh so green. Even Democrats are starting to realize they need to distance themselves from these loons.
I’d like to see any evidence of that.
I don’t see Democrats distancing themselves, either.
I would like to see some Republicans distance themselves from the CO2-phobia.
Trump calls it the Green New Scam, but I don’t hear many other Republicans coming out challenging the human-caused climate change meme.
Nobody wants to challenge the basic premise that CO2 is dangerous. There’s no evidence CO2 is dangerous, but nobody ever says that, even though it is true.
Climate alarmists have *never* established that CO2 is dangerous or that CO2 needs to be controlled or regulated. But our dear leaders never even broach the subject with the possible exception of Trump.
As a result, our politicians continue to take actions that are detrimental to our economies through their efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.
A CO2 Mass Delusion has hold of the Western World, and is causing the Western World to self destruct.
I don’t see anybody distancing themselves from these loons.
Even those alarmists who try hard to appear “reasonable”, such as Nick, who keeps proclaiming that no serious “climate scientist” supports these loons, can’t seem to bring himself to condemn them.
It’s reached as point that some of these climate-kooks will attack/deface anything just out of frustration at the fact that next to no one’s listening to them or giving any of their antics any credibility. They’re acting out of their frustration that despite their antics and all the taxes, laws and restrictions plus the media climate hysteria, etc. the world’s energy supply is still being dominated by fossil fuels, and that businesses, industries and consumers are still satisfied at things continuing that way. Extinction Rebellion had better realize that its asinine antics will soon lead to its own extinction.
Oh, just another one of the numerous joys of living in an urban area!!!
It is really quite funny that you never see any of these highly educated people pulling their stunts out here in the boonies. There is zero “public transportation” and the suspension of the tiny cars would not last very long on the dirt roads that might get a road grader once or twice a year. Can we say washboard with a few deep gullies from rain erosion? Then you also have the pleasure of logging trucks or large tractors with implements on the single lane coming toward you.
Because these highly educated people are living in LA LA land.
Likewise, not so long ago the same sort of people were seriously discussing how USA could adopt whatever measures against pandemics work in China. That is, they «got together … and designed a public policy for a nonexistent country—a country which is still America, but an imaginary America, one which could actually do these things». That’s what it is: attempts to rule hallucinations.
”EVs don’t do enough to address climate change”
So what exactly is IR’s wish to address climate change?? Live in caves?
Although I bet they would be the last to move in.
“”EVs don’t do enough to address climate change””
EVs don’t do ANYTHING to address climate change.
I think that while this group is misguided (and just plain wrong), it is more honest than the the “green” politicians. They do realize that IF man-made CO2 was about to make earth uninhabitable, changing to electric cars won’t solve the problem. So their whole premise is wrong, but logic following the wrong premise is better than “green” politicians who blindly pursue virtue signaling and subsidy games with no concept of the actual effects on total CO2.
I’m a proud direct descendant of Lady Godiva. When the rebellious spirit dies, we all die. And let’s face it, the term “rebellious” is coined by those in authority, but all it means is the will to stand up for oneself and for others. It is needed today every bit as much as it has ever been. Which makes Extinction Rebellion interesting – they think they are rebelling just like other notable rebels, but (a) they are actually set up by, funded by, and ‘rebelling’ FOR authority, and (b) they think they are SO right that they can destroy other people’s lives for their cause. Not what Lady Godiva was about at all.
For sure, I agree totally, and sorry for insulting your ancestor. But if some of them start protesting naked I’ll fall off my chair laughing – and it would make a fun WUWT article. I think we could pretty much guarantee them more coverage 🙂
If they were like the ones in the pictures in the article, I’d be pleading with them for more ‘coverage’ and less nudity – hemp loincloths at the very least, please.
According to PJ O’Rourke, if you mention the word “Jute” anywhere inside the border of Bangladesh you are whisked to the government minister’s office for a sales chat. They would cut the greens a good deal, for protest appropriate clothing.
Poison Ivy loincloths?
Now that’s just nasty, but got to admire your style!
“coverage” is just not the right word when discussing naked folk.
Because the fossil fuel and car industry are the small resistance fighters against the evil windmills. With absolutly zero grip on governments. Come on, you can’t be serious. Simping for dependence on centralized structures instead of giving people the freedom to choose their mode of transport and generate their own electricity in decentralized energy communities,
Thing is, luser, that everybody WANTS and USES Fossil Fuels.
Wind and solar.. only climate-cultists and moronic governments are interested.
Wind and solar scammers have to bribe and corrupt their way into getting subsidies.
Wind and solar give NOTHING back to society…
… they are totally parasitic, as well as being economically and environmentally destructive….
They are a massive burden to society, cost-wise and energy-wise.
Fossil fuels provide massive benefits and payments to governments all around the world.
Fossil fuels are by far and away the chosen form of global energy supply.
Have you got a magnifying glass.. you might just be able to see wind and solar…
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Look at the article again. Those people have the freedom to use whatever mode of transport they wish but what they are doing is trying to restrict the same freedoms of everyone else. Grow up, mylittlepony, your lack of maturity is showing.
“Simping for dependence on centralized structures”
That is EXACTLY what you are doing and advocating.
How can you be so dumb that you don’t see that ?? !!
“giving people the freedom to choose their mode of transport and generate their own electricity in decentralized energy communities,”
Well.. off you go. Set up your own decentralised energy community.
Just don’t expect everyone else to fund it, and don’t try to force people into it.
And don’t expect to piggy-back off the rest of society.
But you won’t, will you. !
You are content to just whinge and whine…
… while using all the massive benefits of the modern fossil fuelled society.
In its mind, the only reason why the people aren’t moving in droves into these energy independent communes is because evil corporations won’t let them.
People have the freedom to choose their mode of transportation. Like most socialists, you are upset that the people haven’t chosen the option that your prefer.
Public transportation is the very definition of centralized structures. It’s private cars that give people freedom.
Decentralized energy communities? You mean communes.
I read that as concurring with high levels of sarcasm. I hope I am right.
The overdog pretending to be the underdog, yes. It’s mostly unnecessary, but long ingrained, and the resulting doublespeak is hilarious. But nothing new, either.
«The logic of the witch hunter is simple. It has hardly changed since Matthew Hopkins’ day. The first requirement is to invert the reality of power. Power at its most basic level is the power to harm or destroy other human beings. The obvious reality is that witch hunters gang up and destroy witches. Whereas witches are never, ever seen to gang up and destroy witch hunters. […] In a country where anyone who speaks out against the witches is soon found dangling by his heels from an oak at midnight with his head shrunk to the size of a baseball, we won’t see a lot of witch-hunting and we know there’s a serious witch problem. In a country where witch-hunting is a stable and lucrative career, and also an amateur pastime enjoyed by millions of hobbyists on the weekend, we know there are no real witches worth a damn.»
― Technology, communism and the Brown Scare
As for the attempt to analogize between witches and communists. I should point out, that during the times of the so called Red Scares, communists were infiltrating government and our education institutions. To the point that today, anyone who does say something against them and their agenda, will find themselves fired and shunned.
The Left creates a society of neurotics.
I think neurotics and others with mental illnesses gravitate towards the left of the political spectrum.
Self reinforcing movement.
The heroic vanguard revolutionary folk know the Fearless Leader knows what’s best for the masses-
Chinese E-Bikes are Exploding like Crazy – Self Destructing Spectacularly (youtube.com)
You will all walk and be happy-
Bamboo carrying pole hi-res stock photography and images – Alamy
It’s not about the cause , it’s about the revolution
Exactly they are anarchists looking for any excuse to tear things down.
That’s because of the batteries you fools.
Who gave them the right to decide what other people need, and what they don’t?
Excellent. They are repeating the problems with EVs we have been pointing out!
“Even high population density nations like Britain have significant feral deer populations.”
Not enough hunters?
Not enough open spaces. America has vast open spaces, the UK doesn’t. It’s very difficult to get a safe distance from other people where you can use a gun safely.
So how much jail time do you figure these anarchists are going to get for pouring oil on an EV and disrupting an event?
One of the more annoying aspects is that someone took the time to interview a spokesman for the organisation after they have performed an act of criminal damage.
That is exactly what they want.
I wonder if the journalist/author in question didn’t already have prior about it or did the criminals know they could phone him up and get free publicity for themselves?
These folks are all city dwellers, they know food comes from the supermarket, electricity comes from the wall and there’s lots hidden in the wall, you don’t need a car because you can get there on the bus or your bike and nothing is more that 15 minutes away. They don’t live in the real world like the rest of us.