Climate Activists Campaign against Rich Lifestyles
2023-09-01
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1Climate activists have spray painted a boat, blocked private planes from taking off and covered holes in golf courses over the summer.
2These actions are part of a campaign against the lifestyles of very rich people who, the activists say, release a lot of carbon pollution into the atmosphere.
3As flooding, storms, and wildfires take place around the world, climate activists have also turned to new measures to call attention to these bad weather events.
4Some activists glued themselves to a road in Germany.
5Others threw soup on a Vincent van Gogh painting in Britain.
6They caused delays in sporting events including a Formula One Grand Prix racecar competition and the Tour de France bicycle race.
7Now, they are turning their attention to rich people after targeting oil and gas companies and businesses that invest in fossil fuels.
8"We do not point the finger at the people but at their lifestyle, the injustice it represents," said Karen Killeen.
9She was protesting in Ibiza, Spain, a popular summer place for the wealthy.
10Killeen and other climate activists spray painted a $300 million boat while holding up a sign that read, "You consume, others suffer."
11She said she was protesting unnecessary carbon releases such as superrich individuals picking up food by boat.
12"In a climate emergency, it's an atrocity," she said.
13In Switzerland, about 100 activists chained themselves to aircraft stairs and to an entrance at Europe's biggest private jet sales gathering in Geneva.
14Another group of activists spray painted a private jet on the island of Sylt in the North Sea.
15In Spain, activists plugged holes in golf courses to protest the sport's heavy water needs during hot, dry weather.
16In the United States, Abigail Disney of the Disney family was arrested at East Hampton Town Airport in New York, in July along with 13 other protesters.
17They blocked cars from entering or leaving a parking area.
18The group also protested at a golf course, a museum event, and outside private homes.
19"Luxury practices are disproportionately contributing to the climate crisis at this point," said American University social scientist Dana Fisher.
20In a 2021 report, the nonprofit organization Oxfam said the richest one percent of people would be responsible for around 16 percent of emissions by 2030.
21Richard Wilk is an economic anthropologist at Indiana University. He criticized superyachts: large boats that come with a crew, a helicopter, submarines and swimming pools.
22Wilk said superyachts release about 6,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.
23That is over 1,500 times more than a family car, he said.
24The environmental group Greenpeace estimated that private aircraft caused about 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution in Europe alone.
25That is the same as the average yearly CO2 emissions of over half a million people in the European Union.
26But University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann warned not to take attention away from fossil fuel companies.
27"The solution is to get everyone to use less carbon-based energy," whether wealthy or lower-income people, he said.
28David Gitman is president of Monarch Air Group, a private airline in Florida.
29He urged activists to think about whether their actions would bring real change "like sustainable aviation fuel, like carbon offsets."
30Gitman added, "Now, if they go out and they spray-paint a private jet in an airport in Europe, is that going to get those results? In my opinion, no."
31But as protests increase, Wilk said they could still bring changes in behavior.
32"Public shaming is one of the most powerful ways of controlling people," Wilk said.
33"It acts in a lot of different ways to embarrass people, to make them more conscious of the consequences of their actions."
34I'm Caty Weaver.
1Climate activists have spray painted a boat, blocked private planes from taking off and covered holes in golf courses over the summer. 2These actions are part of a campaign against the lifestyles of very rich people who, the activists say, release a lot of carbon pollution into the atmosphere. 3As flooding, storms, and wildfires take place around the world, climate activists have also turned to new measures to call attention to these bad weather events. Some activists glued themselves to a road in Germany. Others threw soup on a Vincent van Gogh painting in Britain. They caused delays in sporting events including a Formula One Grand Prix racecar competition and the Tour de France bicycle race. 4Now, they are turning their attention to rich people after targeting oil and gas companies and businesses that invest in fossil fuels. 5"We do not point the finger at the people but at their lifestyle, the injustice it represents," said Karen Killeen. She was protesting in Ibiza, Spain, a popular summer place for the wealthy. 6Killeen and other climate activists spray painted a $300 million boat while holding up a sign that read, "You consume, others suffer." She said she was protesting unnecessary carbon releases such as superrich individuals picking up food by boat. "In a climate emergency, it's an atrocity," she said. 7In Switzerland, about 100 activists chained themselves to aircraft stairs and to an entrance at Europe's biggest private jet sales gathering in Geneva. Another group of activists spray painted a private jet on the island of Sylt in the North Sea. In Spain, activists plugged holes in golf courses to protest the sport's heavy water needs during hot, dry weather. 8In the United States, Abigail Disney of the Disney family was arrested at East Hampton Town Airport in New York, in July along with 13 other protesters. They blocked cars from entering or leaving a parking area. The group also protested at a golf course, a museum event, and outside private homes. 9"Luxury practices are disproportionately contributing to the climate crisis at this point," said American University social scientist Dana Fisher. 10In a 2021 report, the nonprofit organization Oxfam said the richest one percent of people would be responsible for around 16 percent of emissions by 2030. 11Richard Wilk is an economic anthropologist at Indiana University. He criticized superyachts: large boats that come with a crew, a helicopter, submarines and swimming pools. Wilk said superyachts release about 6,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. That is over 1,500 times more than a family car, he said. 12The environmental group Greenpeace estimated that private aircraft caused about 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution in Europe alone. That is the same as the average yearly CO2 emissions of over half a million people in the European Union. 13But University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann warned not to take attention away from fossil fuel companies. "The solution is to get everyone to use less carbon-based energy," whether wealthy or lower-income people, he said. 14David Gitman is president of Monarch Air Group, a private airline in Florida. He urged activists to think about whether their actions would bring real change "like sustainable aviation fuel, like carbon offsets." 15Gitman added, "Now, if they go out and they spray-paint a private jet in an airport in Europe, is that going to get those results? In my opinion, no." 16But as protests increase, Wilk said they could still bring changes in behavior. 17"Public shaming is one of the most powerful ways of controlling people," Wilk said. "It acts in a lot of different ways to embarrass people, to make them more conscious of the consequences of their actions." 18I'm Caty Weaver. 19Hai Do adapted this Associated Press report for VOA Learning English. 20____________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22spray paint -v. to paint something using paint that is sprayed from a can 23lifestyles -n. the particular way a group of people lives 24glue -v. to use a stick substance to put two things together 25fossil fuel -n. oil, natural gas and coal; fuels that come from ancient life 26consume -v. to use up something such as fuel, time, resources 27atrocity -n. an extremely cruel or bad action 28plug -v. to close up a hole 29disproportionately -adv. having an effect on at least two different things that is not balanced or fair 30shame -v. to cause someone to feel guilt or to feel as though they did something wrong 31embarrass -v. to make someone feel foolish in front of other people 32conscious -v. knowing what is around you and understanding what is happening 33consequences the results of someone's actions