The future of our planet should unite us all – Blaise Tapp

Even before I took on the mantle of neutral journalist nearly a quarter of a century ago, when I was a student, living off toasties and Super Noodles, I couldn’t ever get too excited about anything which involved tearing me away from the pub.

Back then I knew a small committed group of people who took great exception to the building of new roads and the very thorny subject of fox hunting, so much so that they dedicated much of their young lives to protesting against such issues. Inevitably, they were dismissed as ‘Swampies’, after the most famous of 1990s’ activists.

Even though I didn’t share their convictions, I have always had more than a healthy respect for people who are so committed to a cause they make huge sacrifices to stand up for what they believe in.

More often than not, protesters usually have a vested interest in standing up to the establishment especially when it comes to cuts to public amenities or developers wanting to build housing estates on their doorsteps.

Although such issues do provoke an outpouring of emotions from large numbers of people, they do not unite everybody because their reach isn’t universal.

One issue which should unite us all is the future of our planet. During the campaign by Extinction Rebellion, the Met Police arrested nearly 1,000 people, aged between 19 and 77. Many of them looked like you or I and were moved to descend on the capital because they truly believe we are close to an environmental tipping point.

Among their demands, they want world leaders to tell the truth about the true scale of global warming and they also want net carbon emissions to be zero within the next six years.

People like me have a lot to do if we are going to make a difference but I strive to buy local wherever I can and am by no means a frequent flyer. 

Although it is unlikely I will ever join them on the frontline, I am on the side of the environmental protesters. We all should be.