Dr Laurence Vaughn, an engineering expert and director of noise mapping company Quiet Places, has criticised Bristol International Airport’s measurement of its environmental noise pollution.

Dr Vaughn has measured real-time decibel levels around the airport to be almost double that recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He said: “Bristol International Airport is supposed to be operating within the planning condition of 57 decibels. With my measurements I’m getting peak levels of 75 decibels locally but according to the airport we are not even supposed to be affected by its noise.

“Last year a WHO report recommended aircraft noise levels reduce below 40 decibels as noise above this level is associated with adverse health effects.”

Environmental assessments

The Department of Health (DoH) recommends an independent Health Impact Assessment (HIA) be carried out before approval of any planning application for airport expansion to ensure the health of the local population is not put at risk by the commercial pursuit of economic benefits. 

However, as these environmental assessments are undertaken by airport operators there are concerns about a lack of transparency and objectivity. Bristol Airport undertook its own assessment.

Bristol International Airport, owned and run by the Canadian-based Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, is seeking permission to handle up to twelve million passengers annually by 2025, with a potential increase to 20 million. 

The expansion would mean 97, 373 aircraft movements in a 12-month calendar period: a flight almost every three minutes and an average of 9,500 extra vehicle movements every day.

Quiet Places aims to help property buyers assess local environmental noise levels, in much the same way as buyers calculate running costs of homes or businesses. 

Noise pollution

Dr Vaughn gathers information about air, road and rail traffic and using analytical software creates an accurate environmental noise level map. 

A recently published Government environmental requirements document called CAP 1616 and 1616A could allow changed airspace routes above the regional airport with potential detrimental effects on noise.

Dr Vaughn added: “The Government also evaluated the commercial and health costs of noise pollution so developers have to submit noise impact data. 

“In my opinion, Bristol International Airport is failing to recognise the impact of existing noise pollution on communities let alone changes they are proposing. Noise pollution has been shown to extend to Keynsham and Yatton, yet the Airport has only produced limited modelling of ground, air and traffic noise close to the airport.

“The Airport has failed to assess noise impact from additional 24,000+ flights required to service 12 million passengers. Aircraft noise will also alter bird breeding patterns, disturb wildlife and damage sensitive ecosystems.”

Airport expansion

If the airport expansion is given the green light, there will be a flight movement on average every 3.5 minutes, sixteen hours a day. An increase from 8 to 17 an hour. An estimated extra 5,453 dwellings – up to 20,000 people in North Somerset – will be affected by airport noise. There are set to be 4,000 night-flights between the hours of 23:30 and 06:00 with no seasonal restrictions.

Studies in Europe and UK demonstrate aircraft noise has substantial effects on cardiovascular disease including hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure and stroke. Night noise disturbs sleep and causes increased blood pressure as stress hormone levels rise.

Air pollution, with a marked increase in road traffic to the airport, is likely to act in conjunction with aircraft noise to induce pulmonary disease in children.

A German study revealed that a day-time average sound level of 60 decibels increased coronary heart disease by 61 percent in men and 80 percent in women. A night-time average sound level of 55 decibels increased the risk of heart attacks by 66 percent in men and 139 percent in women. 

The WHO states that the learning of children in primary schools near airports is adversely affected by noise.

Laurence added: “It cannot be right to give the go-ahead to the airport expansion when it is clearly going to affect the health of people region-wide.”

This Author 

Melanie Greenwood is a freelance journalist. 

German energy giant RWE – Europe’s biggest carbon emitter, and owner of some of Germany’s most polluting coal plants and mines – has announced a new ‘green’ image campaign, with a major renewables buyout and a new 2040 carbon neutrality target.

RWE wooed the media at a press conference designed to assure investors its business is suitable for the 21st century. But critics were quick to point out that its 2038 coal phase-out date would come nearly a decade too late to align with the Paris climate goals – or to satisfy investors demanding RWE quits coal.

Even as its CEO took the podium in Essen, a new campaign was being launched at another press conference in North Rhine-Westphalia, historically one of Germany’s core mining regions – about the human rights impacts of RWE’s ongoing coal exploitation activities.

Human rights

“Menschenrecht vor Bergrecht” – human rights not mining rights – is a group made up of several families from villages that RWE is still determined to demolish in its quest to mine coal.

Under the villages of Keyenberg, Kuckum, Berverath and Westrich lies a reserve of lignite – heavy, polluting coal – that the company wants to use to feed the nearby coal power plants of Niederaußem and Neurath, two of the EU’s biggest and dirtiest coal plants. 

The whole area would be turned into a vast opencast mine – an expansion of the notorious Garzweiler mine, which already spreads over almost 50km2.

The villagers have decided they will not be moved – and to defend their homes and communities, they’ll go all the way to court if they have to.

In the words of Forbes – it’s a “PR nightmare” waiting to happen for the ‘new RWE’ campaign.

Evictions

The members of Menschenrecht vor Bergrecht are refusing to sell a piece of land to RWE. In their formal refusal to RWE to negotiate over this land, they asked the company instead to reconsider its ambition to flatten whole villages for mining. They want to see a public statement that no one else will be forced to sacrifice their home to coal.

Given RWE’s rebrand, cancelling the demolition plans seems like an obvious move.

But if the company fails to do so, the only way it can get its hands on the land would be to ask the local authority to override the villagers’ wishes and give RWE permission to forcibly take the land.

If that happens, the villagers will double down. They are rightly convinced that, in the face of Germany’s agreed coal phase-out, its recent sign-up to the Powering Past Coal Alliance and the urgent need to act on climate change, forced evictions for coal are no longer justifiable and may be unconstitutional.

The villagers will seek a court decision confirming this. To test the legal argument, they will use a piece of land, which lies on the frontier between the mine and the villages.

A decision in their favour would set a precedent that could change the game for the thousands in Germany who stand to lose their homes in this way.

Fossil fuels

In spite of the new PR campaign on renewables – including a promised “responsible phasing out of fossil fuels” – RWE seems set on continuing with its coal activities. CEO Rolf Schmitz reiterated this at the press conference when pressed by a journalist.

It’s difficult to see how continued coal mining and burning tallies with the company’s new position. Spokespeople for the company insist that energy security in Germany depends on the continued use of coal, right up until the law prevents it.

But the excuse is wearing thin. Given RWE’s insistence that some combination of the Hambach Forest and nearby villages must be sacrificed to keep the coal business going, it is reasonable to conclude that the company is not eager to abandon coal any sooner than it has to.

And the reason for RWE choosing a 2040 deadline, instead of dovetailing it with Germany’s 2038 coal phase-out date? It “sounds better”, according to Schmitz.

Making a profit?

It seems as though RWE is going some way to try to prolong the shelf life of its coal business.

Market experts have assessed the profitability of lignite – the particularly polluting form of coal RWE has based much of its dealings on in Germany – and found that, from now, there is barely an economic case for it.

But RWE’s reports suggest that lignite’s value is still such that any threat to its ability to mine would be disastrous to its profits – to the point that it predicted a ‘low three digit million’ Euro loss as a result of a court suspending its right to mine in the Hambach Forest last October.

Many had misgivings about this announcement. We recently alerted the German financial regulator, BaFin, to our concerns about the false picture it paints of the profitability of the coal market – we believe RWE’s actions may amount to market manipulation.

Legal action

The realities of living next to a coal mine have to be experienced to be believed.

Acres of fertile land come to an abrupt halt just metres from the rural villages of Keyenberg, Kuckum and others, dropping off into a vast pit, where wildlife and flowers would have flourished before.

But perhaps worse than living next to a mine is knowing that the place you live is set to be lost forever inside it. For the people of Menschenrecht vor Bergrecht, legal action is now their only option to fight back.

The villagers know the scale of the challenge they’re taking on, and how long it might take. But their lives here are rooted deeply and they’re not ready to be turfed out.

This Article

This article was first published by ClientEarth, which is supporting Menschenrecht vor Bergrecht in their campaign. 

Image: Bert Kaufmann, Flickr. 

Eating high levels of dairy products may be linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer for men, according to new research.

Men who ate higher amounts of cheese, butter, milk and yoghurt were between seven percent to 76 percent more likely to develop the disease, a study by US researchers found.

Experts at the Mayo clinic in Chicago reviewed 47 studies published since 2006, with more than a million participants, to better understand the risks of prostate cancer associated with plant and animal-based foods.

Consumption

Two meta-analyses and seven cohort studies on dairy consumption found the men had an increased risk of between seven percent and 76 percent of developing prostate cancer. But other studies did not find a link.

Researchers detected no link between an increased risk of prostate cancer and eating red and white meat, processed meat and fish.

But they found a decreased risk of developing the disease in vegetarians and vegans.

John Shin, MD, a Mayo Clinic oncologist and lead author on the study, said: “Our review highlighted a cause for concern with high consumption of dairy products.

Methods

“The findings also support a growing body of evidence on the potential benefits of plant-based diets.”

Dairy products are rich in calcium and the researchers suggest the mineral may play an important role in the link between higher consumption and increased risk.

But they caution that more research is needed to determine the nature of the associations found. The study is published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London, said there were “weaknesses” in the methods used in the study.

Lifestyle

He said: “Vegans have about a 35 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than meat-eaters but this may reflect the fact they are usually much lighter than meat-eaters rather than the absence of dairy foods from their diets.

“It is notable that the incidence of prostate cancer is much higher in black men of African ethnic origin, who generally consume few dairy products, compared with white men.

“The prevalence of prostate cancer has increased markedly in south-east and east Asia, where few dairy products are consumed, which would indicate that lifestyle factors, other than dairy food consumption, are responsible for the global epidemic prostate cancer.”

This Author

Jemma Crew is the PA health and science correspondent.

Children are five times more exposed to harmful air pollution while travelling to primary schools in London than at any other time of the day, a new study claims.

More than 250 pupils aged between six and 11 wore backpacks containing sensors to monitor the air quality on their journey to and from five London primary schools.

They helped collect 490 million measurements from 2,000 journeys for the Breathe London Wearables Study, which was carried out by King’s College London in spring 2019.

Harmful

The results, published on Tuesday, found that children were on average exposed to five-times-higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) during the school run than when they were at school.

It also revealed that children who walked to school via backstreets were exposed to the lowest levels of NO2 pollution, even less than those travelling in cars and buses.

The study advised that children in the capital should avoid using busy roads to walk or cycle to school in order to reduce their exposure to pollution.

A total of 258 pupils carried 1kg sensors in their backpacks to measure N02 and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for the study.

Particulate matter is a term used to describe the mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air, while NO2 is a harmful gas released when fuel is burned.

Breath

The sensors, developed by Dyson, were carried by each child for five days and also recorded their GPS location.

Those taking part were from primary schools in Richmond, Greenwich, Haringey, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Kensington and Chelsea.

The study, funded by the Mayor of London in partnership with C40 Cities, found that children who walked to school along main roads received the highest concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2.

It said children were “particularly vulnerable” to the harmful effects of air pollution due to their “immature and developing immune system and lungs”.

It comes as new data collected by Google Street View cars for the Breathe London project shows nitrogen dioxide is on average 51% higher on busy A roads, compared to quieter local roads.

Educate

The cars recorded the highest concentrations on Hanger Lane and other locations on the North Circular, Brixton Road and Kensington Church Street in London.

The locations are all to fall within the expansion of the new ultra low emission zone in 2021.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Air pollution is a public health crisis and it is shocking that pupils are exposed to such high levels of harmful air.

“All the schools who took part in this study are using the results to educate pupils and their families on air quality and helping them find the least polluting routes for their journeys.”

This Author

Luke Powell is a reporter with PA. Image:  Ruben de Rijcke, via Flickr. 

At least ten thousand protestors marched in the streets of Lebanon against corruption and incompetence in a government that is fuelling economic stagnancy in one of the world’s most indebted countries.

Protestors chanted: “The people are exhausted”; “The people will bring down the regime.”

Lebanon is one of the world’s most heavily indebted states and, this week, the government unveiled a new tax to raise additional revenues – a charge of roughly $6 per month for calls on all voice over internet protocol (VoIP) apps such as WhatsApp and Facetime. The measure is expected to bring about $200 million in revenue per year.

Forest fires

The proposal met with intense backlash on social media and widespread protests in a country with only two mobile service providers. Both are state-owned and are among the most expensive in the region.

Paula Yacoubian, a former journalist and currently an opposition politician, said: “The people will not pay a single [Lebanese] pound on the platform it insults you [politicians] on.”

The proposal has since been revoked. But Fahad, a protestor in Beirut, said: “This isn’t about WhatsApp, this is about how this government is simply incapable of doing its job. They [politicians] would let the whole country burn if it meant they can make money.”

The protests also came just two days after the worst forest fires Lebanon had seen in at least a decade. These fires are still raging. 

In a single day last week, 120-200 fires spread out different parts of Lebanon – including in the mountains in the historic and well-preserved region of Chouf. The fires reached residential areas, forcing many people to evacuate in the middle of the night. The damage was worsened by a lack of resources to contain the fire.

Fire fighting 

Although forest management experts and environmental advocacy groups reportedly issued several warnings about the threat of forest wildfires at the beginning of the dry season, in early June, no serious measures were taken to implement fire prevention or forest management measures.

George Stacey, an analyst working with Norvergence, an environmental advocacy NGO, said: “Fires of these magnitude require a lot of resources to be put out that was clearly not available.”

Public anger increased when it was revealed that the country’s three firefighting helicopters had been out of service for years.

An investigation has began to hold those responsible to account, and neighboring countries are offering firefighting support. 

On Tuesday morning, Cyprus sent helicopters while Greece and Jordan also offered to send help, according to Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which is the UN peacekeeping force at the country’s border with Israel, also joined the efforts.

Stacey added: “Nothing was done to prevent these fires that were far from unexpected given the current rate of urbanization breaking into forests, as well the heatwave that occurred this summer and increased the risk of fires further.”

Climate breakdown

Nearly 65 percent of fires that occur in Lebanon do so in forested areas, according to a 2017 report, but fires will reach cities much quicker in future, as urbanization continues to expand.

Forests in Lebanon also have a very dense biomass which provides for ample fuel for fires to spread quickly.

Temperatures in October in Lebanon have been the highest by several degrees in recorded years. Greenpeace Lebanon has pointed out how these heightened temperatures increase the risk of wildfires.

Julien Jreissati, campaigner at Greenpeace Lebanon, said: “Whether these fires are of criminal origin or not, their extraordinary intensity and ferocity is being fuelled by climate change. 

“Indeed the unusual heat wave and high temperatures in October have dried out our soils and created the ideal conditions for these unprecedented fires to spread out at such speed and intensity.”

Lebanon is not the only country struggling with wildfires. A combination of weather and environmental factors have resulted in wide-spreading fires through the Amazon, Russia, Australia, the Arctic, and many other parts of the world in 2019.

Build resilience

Jreissati added: “This is not an isolated event as 2019 has been a year of unprecedented forest fires from Siberia to the Amazon, from the Canary Island to Indonesia, sending clear signals that our planet is burning and it is time to act like it.”

The Red Cross in Lebanon has identified that eighteen people have been hospitalised and 88 have received emergency medical care. One person is also confirmed dead while hundreds have lost their homes.

Jreissati concluded: “We urge the Lebanese government to declare a state of climate emergency, to develop and implement a national adaptation strategy to the impacts of climate change to build the country’s resilience to such extreme events.”

This Author 

Rabiya Jaffery is a freelance journalist and multimedia producer covering stories from the Middle East and South Asia. She reports on climate, culture, and conflicts. She tweets at @rabiyasdfghjkl.

The article was supported by a grant from Norvergence,  an NGO that supports climate-related advocacy work.

Image: Rakan Mazloum, Twitter. 

Some of the UK’s leading glitter retailers, brands and experts are warning that unscrupulous firms are misleading or, even worse, simply lying about the green credentials of their sparkly products to sell to the unsuspecting public.

Traditional glitter, a form of microplastic, received particularly bad press a few years ago because of its  toxic impact on marine life. 

The result of this was a huge surge in demand for environmentally friendly glitters. But, according to experts, many of the ‘green’ glitters that have come out of the woodwork aren’t actually as eco-friendly as they may sound.

Market disruption

Stephen Cotton, the commercial director of Ronald Britton Ltd, the inventors and manufacturers of Bioglitter, the world’s first naturally degradable glitter, said: “Glitter greenwashing is not to be underestimated.

“We are aware of a number of glitter sellers and manufacturers who are making misleading claims about the eco credentials of their products, and in some cases even counterfeiting test reports.

“In reality the glitter being sold is no better than plastic in terms of environmental microplastic pollution and is misleading well intentioned consumers.”

Some of the manufacturers greenwash their own products and then sell them on in bulk to unsuspecting retailers or nationwide brands that are looking to source eco-friendly glitters for use in cosmetic beauty products, or for coatings on products like clothing, flowers and stationery.

Cotton went on to say: “Whenever there is significant disruption to a market, like we find in the glitter industry at the moment, there is an opportunity for unscrupulous companies to capitalise on the initial confusion as the market is unfamiliar with new technologies and terms.  

Composting

“Unfortunately, the glitter market is not immune to this.  As the market leaders of eco-glitter technology, we feel that empowering the consumers and brand owners to make informed decisions on their purchasing choices, through awareness and increased knowledge around the subject, is essential.  

“It will also enable the industry to quickly move through this phase as the market becomes more familiar with the new standards that products need to achieve to make the cut as truly eco-friendly.”  

Andrew Thompson, technical director of Ronald Britton, said: “There has been a number of cases of glitter manufacturers making dubious claims about the composition of their products and their biodegradability, essentially greenwashing the products they offer.  

“This is a major frustration for a business like ours, that has invested years in developing a green product. We welcome competition, however it’s not a level playing field if some companies are content to sell non-eco-friendly glitter to unsuspecting clients. 

“We’ve seen evidence of the same test report being used by several companies to claim biodegradability in the natural environment, however when scrutinised the test results show the glitter exhibits only modest breakdown under industrial composting conditions.

Complex

“This is nowhere near the test performance required to meet the claimed credentials of biodegradation in freshwater and natural environments.” 

Biodegradability is a key quality consumers and brands are looking for.  The potential pollution created by traditional glitter is in natural environments, therefore the essential requirement is a glitter that will actually biodegrade in natural environment- and not just in environments like composting.  

However, the environment is not the only factor. Time to biodegrade and how much biodegrades are also essential components in understanding biodegradability performance.  

Glitter sellers like Eco Glitter Fun have all said that it is the very nature of biodegradability being a complex subject that has led to it being open to abuse.  

Sophie Awdry said: “Being a complex subject there is a good deal of greenwashing occurring. There are a lot of companies claiming their glitter is biodegradable, but biodegradable is just a word and doesn’t actually mean anything, unless qualified in terms of how much, how long, and where.  

Independent

“If it takes 100 years to biodegrade, if just a small percentage biodegrades or if it needs special composting conditions, then it’s not eco-friendly in terms the natural environment.”

Glitter is made from several ingredients. The main ingredient is the core film, on which the colour, reflective and special effect coatings are applied. The resulting coated film is then cut into typically hexagons to make the finished glitter product.  

Thompson commented: “As the core film is the main ingredient in glitter it is often the focus of biodegradability claims, however, the coatings applied to it will influence its ability to biodegrade.  

“This is why biodegradability claims made on the basis of the core film alone don’t tell the whole story, and why independent testing of the actual finished glitter, coatings and all, is essential.” 

For consumers and brands looking to buy a truly eco-friendly product, the key is to look at the independent test data which reveals the level of biodegradability of glitter.

Decompose

Awdry added: “The way to not get greenwashed is do your research and look for evidence of actual test data on glitters by a recognised, independent testing organisation, such as freshwater testing by trusted independent companies like OWS, Belgium or even better third party test data verification and certification by companies like TÜV, Austria.

Inez Monteny, marketing and sales engineer at Belgian independent biodegradability tester OWS, said: “Products can be certified by independent labs, though many don’t bother.”

Kath Senior from EcoStardust, another one of the UK’s leading consumer eco-glitter brands, said: “Manufacturers who publicise their test data and report high levels of biodegradation, or even better have certification for freshwater biodegradability from independent third party organisations like TÜV Austria, one of the toughest and well regarded, are the glitters to opt for.”

Bioglitter replaces the use of plastics in the core of glitter with a plant-based product, MRC. This special form of cellulose, unique to Bioglitter, is stable and won’t degrade on the shelf, however once it enters soil, compost or water environments where microorganisms are present, the glitter will naturally decompose.

Branding

Ronald Britton has a vested interested in trying to tackle the issue of greenwashing in the industry and has launched their own scheme to ensure consumers know the sparkles they buy are actually environmentally friendly.

Stephen Cotton said: “We’ve been working with brands who sell glitter or glitter containing products, the likes of Eco Glitter Fun or EcoStardust and larger brands, as well as big retailers like Primark, T-Zone and Monsoon Accessorize to set up a scheme allowing authorised brands to use our protected Bioglitter logo.

“Most of the companies that now sell genuine ‘natural environment biodegradable’ glitter or use it in their products, display our Bioglitter logo either on the packaging itself or on their website. We also list all companies authorised to use our Bioglitter trade mark registered branding to prevent any ‘passing off’.”

Author

Paul Owen is a content and media specialist with more than 18 years’ experience writing articles for specialist sectors including manufacturing, technology, environment, FMCG and new product development.

Image: Ronald Britton. 

The national newspaper The Guardian has launched an ambitious year-long project focusing on biodiversity and the variety of life on our planet.

The Age of Extinction will report on our current catastrophic species loss and examine solutions to tackle the wildlife extinction crisis.

The lead interactive story by award-winning foreign correspondent, Dan McDougall, takes readers to the remote research huts of Sermilik ice station in Greenland, where scientists are looking to the smallest of life forms to predict the pace of species extinction.

Environmental reporting

Other stories launched today include an opinion piece by the Guardian’s former environment editor, John Vidal, on the one million plant and animal species threatened with extinction and an in-depth explainer on why biodiversity matters to us.

Tracy McVeigh, editor of foundations and philanthropic projects, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say that most of what is familiar and dear to us in nature is under threat: our food, our water, our wellbeing and our landscape.

“We’ve pushed the natural world to its limits and its emergency is our emergency. One in four species are currently threatened with extinction.

“The Guardian has always been at the very forefront of environmental reporting and The Age of Extinction series is part of our journalistic response to the deepening crisis. With our network of correspondents, photographers and filmmakers around the world, we will showcase the solutions, as well as investigating the problems.”

The Age of Extinction is supported, in part, through grants to theguardian.org by the BAND Foundation, a private family organisation that oversees charitable interests through strategic grant-making, primarily in nature conservation and epilepsy care.

It has also received funding from the Wyss Foundation, which last year committed $1 billion to launch the Wyss Campaign for Nature to expand protected areas and help conserve 30 percent of the planet in a natural state by 2030.

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from Guardian News and Media. 

Former Irish president Mary Robinson has warned Extinction Rebellion protesters that they risk alienating the public if they do not employ smart tactics.

The UN Special Envoy on El Nino and Climate said disruption was necessary to affect change, but that it could take many forms.

She also praised the work of Greta Thunberg, saying her address at the UN’s Climate Action Summit last month brought her to tears.

Investors

Dr Robinson said: “I think what Greta and her generation are doing is humanising the issue of climate change in a very vivid way. Because what they’re saying – which is correct – is that we, the adults in the world, are not guaranteeing them a safe future; a liveable future.

“I was in the UN General Assembly during the Climate Action Summit, and when I heard her say ‘you have stolen my childhood’ – a 16-year-old – I cried, actually. I thought, ‘this is not fair’.”

Speaking to the PA news agency at the Aurora Forum in Yerevan, Armenia, Dr Robinson said climate change protests were one way of causing disruption, but that the most effective method was through investors, asset managers, and pension funds.

She added: “I see no significant move on the part of the emitters to change. So I now feel it’s time for disruption – and disruption takes many forms.

Clever

“Disruption can be litigation, disruption can be shareholder questions at meetings, disruption of a very effective thought can be when investors are warning about being invested in stranded assets.

“And disruption can be bottom up – the schoolchildren, the young people, the Extinction Rebellion, the women leaders. But the most effective is the investors. If they can really move that needle, it can move very fast.”

Asked about Extinction Rebellion protests in London last week which saw public transport targeted, Mrs Robinson said the activists need to keep people on side.

She explained: “I hope they will be very smart about their tactics, because if they alienate the public that will put us a step backwards. So far, on the whole, they have been quite clever they’ve been funny.

Peace

“They’ve been apologetic for the disruption caused because they don’t want to alienate the public. But then there are some who want to go further.

“I think it is very, very important that the public display of disruption is seen by the public as being in their interests, and that has happened. But if they lose that, that would be very serious.”

Dr Robinson became the first woman president of the Republic of Ireland in 1990. She is also a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2014, she was appointed to oversee UN efforts to tackle climate change.

Last November, she was appointed chairwoman of peace and human rights campaigning group The Elders.

This Author

Nina Massey is a reporter with PA. Yerevan, Armenia.

Former Irish president Mary Robinson has warned Extinction Rebellion protesters that they risk alienating the public if they do not employ smart tactics.

The UN Special Envoy on El Nino and Climate said disruption was necessary to affect change, but that it could take many forms.

She also praised the work of Greta Thunberg, saying her address at the UN’s Climate Action Summit last month brought her to tears.

Investors

Dr Robinson said: “I think what Greta and her generation are doing is humanising the issue of climate change in a very vivid way. Because what they’re saying – which is correct – is that we, the adults in the world, are not guaranteeing them a safe future; a liveable future.

“I was in the UN General Assembly during the Climate Action Summit, and when I heard her say ‘you have stolen my childhood’ – a 16-year-old – I cried, actually. I thought, ‘this is not fair’.”

Speaking to the PA news agency at the Aurora Forum in Yerevan, Armenia, Dr Robinson said climate change protests were one way of causing disruption, but that the most effective method was through investors, asset managers, and pension funds.

She added: “I see no significant move on the part of the emitters to change. So I now feel it’s time for disruption – and disruption takes many forms.

Clever

“Disruption can be litigation, disruption can be shareholder questions at meetings, disruption of a very effective thought can be when investors are warning about being invested in stranded assets.

“And disruption can be bottom up – the schoolchildren, the young people, the Extinction Rebellion, the women leaders. But the most effective is the investors. If they can really move that needle, it can move very fast.”

Asked about Extinction Rebellion protests in London last week which saw public transport targeted, Mrs Robinson said the activists need to keep people on side.

She explained: “I hope they will be very smart about their tactics, because if they alienate the public that will put us a step backwards. So far, on the whole, they have been quite clever they’ve been funny.

Peace

“They’ve been apologetic for the disruption caused because they don’t want to alienate the public. But then there are some who want to go further.

“I think it is very, very important that the public display of disruption is seen by the public as being in their interests, and that has happened. But if they lose that, that would be very serious.”

Dr Robinson became the first woman president of the Republic of Ireland in 1990. She is also a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2014, she was appointed to oversee UN efforts to tackle climate change.

Last November, she was appointed chairwoman of peace and human rights campaigning group The Elders.

This Author

Nina Massey is a reporter with PA. Yerevan, Armenia.

Former Irish president Mary Robinson has warned Extinction Rebellion protesters that they risk alienating the public if they do not employ smart tactics.

The UN Special Envoy on El Nino and Climate said disruption was necessary to affect change, but that it could take many forms.

She also praised the work of Greta Thunberg, saying her address at the UN’s Climate Action Summit last month brought her to tears.

Investors

Dr Robinson said: “I think what Greta and her generation are doing is humanising the issue of climate change in a very vivid way. Because what they’re saying – which is correct – is that we, the adults in the world, are not guaranteeing them a safe future; a liveable future.

“I was in the UN General Assembly during the Climate Action Summit, and when I heard her say ‘you have stolen my childhood’ – a 16-year-old – I cried, actually. I thought, ‘this is not fair’.”

Speaking to the PA news agency at the Aurora Forum in Yerevan, Armenia, Dr Robinson said climate change protests were one way of causing disruption, but that the most effective method was through investors, asset managers, and pension funds.

She added: “I see no significant move on the part of the emitters to change. So I now feel it’s time for disruption – and disruption takes many forms.

Clever

“Disruption can be litigation, disruption can be shareholder questions at meetings, disruption of a very effective thought can be when investors are warning about being invested in stranded assets.

“And disruption can be bottom up – the schoolchildren, the young people, the Extinction Rebellion, the women leaders. But the most effective is the investors. If they can really move that needle, it can move very fast.”

Asked about Extinction Rebellion protests in London last week which saw public transport targeted, Mrs Robinson said the activists need to keep people on side.

She explained: “I hope they will be very smart about their tactics, because if they alienate the public that will put us a step backwards. So far, on the whole, they have been quite clever they’ve been funny.

Peace

“They’ve been apologetic for the disruption caused because they don’t want to alienate the public. But then there are some who want to go further.

“I think it is very, very important that the public display of disruption is seen by the public as being in their interests, and that has happened. But if they lose that, that would be very serious.”

Dr Robinson became the first woman president of the Republic of Ireland in 1990. She is also a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2014, she was appointed to oversee UN efforts to tackle climate change.

Last November, she was appointed chairwoman of peace and human rights campaigning group The Elders.

This Author

Nina Massey is a reporter with PA. Yerevan, Armenia.