Animal Rebellion are a group of citizens demanding change through mass non-violent civil disobedience. We are scared for the future, angry with our governments and have had enough of the lies that are being told about the food system we so heavily rely on. Of all mammals 60% are livestock (cows, pigs, sheep), 36% are human, and just 4% are wild. (1) This has come about through decades of abuse, neglect, and us striving to be the top dog in our profit-seeking society.
We must stop emitting greenhouse gases such as: Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Carbon Dioxide into our atmosphere, we all know that by now but one of the most effective ways of doing this is to stop the mass-production of meat and dairy. Therefore a main demand of Animal Rebellion is a transition away from meat and dairy into a plant-based food system, with farmers being paid and educated to thrive during this transition.
The UN said this over a decade ago in 2006: “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems… it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.”
Read more: Animal Rebellion Bristol set to march through city centre
Then again in August 2021: “Cutting methane is the single biggest and fastest strategy for slowing down warming.” These warnings have still not been heeded, so we are taking direct action. Loudly and angrily enough so that they have no choice but to actually implement change. There is however hope, despite what the media or the “Doomers” on social media tell us but it’s not about waiting for the government to bail us out, or even relying on individuals to make changes in their own lives.
The hope comes through banding together as a group causing disruption and demanding system change. My entry into environmental activism came about through something as simple as my recycling bins. I live above some shops and the waste recycling facilities are unclear.
There are recycling areas for some. Which are locked. Other households place their recycling into council bins in a car park where they are irregularly collected and/or run over. I’ve contacted the council asking for help. I’ve contacted my landlord. All multiple times, over months and months. I’ve been told they’ll get back to me in three working days and I never hear from them again.
I’ve been told by my landlord to just put everything into the general waste. My neighbours were at a loss as well. This pointless brick wall that I faced made me realise if Bristol (voted most sustainable city in 2021) can’t help with something as small as a regular recycling collection, what good are they actually doing against the real threats that face our world, our animals, and our people in the climate crisis.
It turns out not a lot and I take our recycling to my work to use their bins now. It was this that led me to join Extinction Rebellion after a 'Heading For Extinction' talk at my workplace. Here I found people who had experienced the same hopelessness and anger and I found my role to make change. I work with XR and now have also joined Animal Rebellion Bristol, where we have a great team of dedicated people who are also fed up of seeing continuous animal cruelty, angry at the racial biases we see caused by money-hungry animal agriculture companies and investors, and are motivated to seek justice.
When you combine anger, passion, ambition, and teamwork you find that the insurmountable idea of halting the climate emergency and stopping the mindless consumption of animals a little bit easier to achieve. I know talking about food and diet is a difficult subject as it is wrapped up in so many parts of our lives. Different religions, cultures, traditions, and places over the world see food differently and put importance on different aspects of it. Asking people to change the way they do something so integral to their identity is again, such an overwhelming thought that it might not seem possible.
Which is why the change must come from government. The government must hear that the only solution to completely stop our world from becoming impotent is to change how people are eating. We at AR are very keen to not put the emphasis on people needing to change their diets directly but it must be the government implementing this change.
A plant-based diet for example is currently a classist, financial and accessibility issue. It is expensive. Therefore the government must subsidise plant-based options and increase tax on meat and dairy. They must promote and instigate plant-based menus in supermarkets, restaurants, and even in their own council buildings. They must make being plant-based so easy and so cheap that even the poorest areas and the poorest families are able to choose and feed themselves healthily.
We’ll start this march in the centre of Broadmead at 10.30am (outside Barclays bank) and end at Wapping Wharf, with a few surprise visits in between. At Wapping Wharf we’ll be talking to the public about this harmful industry and why it’s important to demand the government tell the truth. I think it is critical that people are aware just how harmful the meat, dairy, and fishing industries are.
I call on whoever is reading this to not be a bystander to disaster. You don’t have to join XR or AR, start your own if you want, but you must stand strong and shout loudly. You are able to help save this world and time is running out.
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