A radical environmental movement that originated in the UK is now going international, with several chapters in the Mountain West.
, a self-described non-violent group that advocates for climate action, declared Monday the beginning of a two-week 鈥渋nternational rebellion鈥� marked by events in more than 60 cities worldwide, including .
The group鈥檚 actions often involve disruptions such as shutting down busy streets. On Monday, for example, demonstrators blocked roads and bridges leading to the Palace of Westminster in central London, as The Washington Post .
John Hausdoerffer, dean of the School of Environment and Sustainability at Western Colorado University, said Extinction Rebellion鈥檚 brand of direct action is a tactic intended to influence public discourse.
鈥淚t takes all hands on deck,鈥� Hausdoerffer said. 鈥淚t takes careful, cautious data-driven scientists. It takes policy-makers who listen to all political perspectives of constituents. It takes citizens who demand change. It takes citizens who disagree with those citizens who demand change.鈥�
As those events get underway, one Colorado member of the group is headed for .
Several Extinction Rebellion activists were in the spring for trying to block a major road in Denver. One of them, Jason Coughlin, is his arrest in court. Fellow activist Dave Robinson said that Coughlin hopes to use something called the .
鈥淲hich basically has to do with when you have two options and they both are horrible options,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淥ne being doing nothing and the other being breaking the law in order to bring about change.鈥�
The jury trial is set for October 15th.
Extinction Rebellion鈥檚 presence is growing in the U.S. including chapters in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
Copyright 2020 91.5 KRCC. To see more, visit . 9(MDAxNDQ2NDAxMDEyNzU2NzM2ODA3ZGI1ZA001))
