Life beyond COVID-19: Extinction Rebellion Sheffield members reveal their hopes for the planet, and the changes needed to prevent the next big crisis

For the members of Extinction Rebellion Sheffield, the current pandemic has been very telling.
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“I think it’s clear our government needed to listen to the consensus of scientists earlier, drawing obvious parallels with climate change and ecological breakdown,” says Nathan Strathdee, a 20-year-old student currently working towards a degree in energy and sustainability engineering in the city.

People have also shown themselves to be very adaptable, making massive changes to their lives and their businesses in a short space of time.

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“We’ll need that same pace of change to achieve our goal of getting to net zero.

Extinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirusExtinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirus
Extinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirus

“I think this last few months has proved that the sooner you react to a crisis, the better.”

A lot has changed since I last sat in a room with this group to discuss their 2020 goals. In January their sights were set firmly on November’s ‘crucial’ COP26 summit in Glasgow.

COVID-19 means the summit has since been postponed to 2021, and social distancing means that our meeting today is a virtual one. But even scattered in homes across the region, it’s clear that the environmental pressure group’s unity, and clear intent in pursuit of their mission, hasn’t been dampened by lockdown.

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They have continued to meet via Zoom, honing their strategy by joining forces with other environmental groups, including Green New Deal, and Build Back Better movement.

The Star met with XR members in person in January to discuss their 2020 goals - and again this week via Zoom, about their vision for life beyond COVID-19The Star met with XR members in person in January to discuss their 2020 goals - and again this week via Zoom, about their vision for life beyond COVID-19
The Star met with XR members in person in January to discuss their 2020 goals - and again this week via Zoom, about their vision for life beyond COVID-19

Last month, 50 XR members stood in silence on the steps of Sheffield City Hall, three metres apart, and demanded a ‘greener, fairer future’ post-lockdown.

Steph Howlett, aged 68, explains: “We’re obviously waiting to see what kind of world we re-emerge into after this.

“Our society has been forced, by truly tragic circumstances, to take a pause in its current way of doing things, but it’s clear that many people have appreciated the pause.

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“The air is cleaner, carbon emissions are down, and there seems to be more awareness of the importance of nature - but the cost has been great.

Extinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirusExtinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirus
Extinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirus

“We don’t want all the humans shut away, we want them out in the community playing an active role in restoring nature.

“This period has given us hope that restoration can happen, but our concern is that the governments, and big polluters, are going to want to go back to business as usual.”

24-year-old student Adam Urwick agrees: “When China’s lockdown ended, they immediately started ramping up industry to above what it had been, to make up for lost time, and very rapidly we started to see the environmental impacts.

“Our concern is that the UK will do the same.

The Star met with XR members in person in January to discuss their 2020 goals - and again this week via Zoom, about their vision for life beyond COVID-19The Star met with XR members in person in January to discuss their 2020 goals - and again this week via Zoom, about their vision for life beyond COVID-19
The Star met with XR members in person in January to discuss their 2020 goals - and again this week via Zoom, about their vision for life beyond COVID-19
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“We feel this crisis has underlined the need for a change in emphasis from profits and GDP, to social and environmental wellbeing.”

Peter Gilbert, aged 36, says: “As absolutely awful as this time has been, for so many people, it’s important to remember this is relatively small compared with the bigger crisis to come if we don’t address the growing emergency that is climate change.

“If this was a taste, then we must remember how terrible the environmental and ecological collapse that is on the way is going to be.

“We spoke in January about how climate change could lead to food insecurity, which in turn could lead to global conflicts.

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“Our generations had never really had any experience to be able to put that idea into context - until this.

“I want people to remember what it was like when this all began, and you couldn’t buy bread, or pasta, or flour, or toilet paper, and how unsettling that uncertainty was.

Extinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirusExtinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirus
Extinction Rebellion Sheffield shares its vision for life beyond coronavirus

“I want people to hold on to that feeling, of resources being limited - don’t ever forget how it felt.

“We have to remember there’s a limit to how much the government will be able to support people through another, even bigger, crisis.

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“The cost of making changes now is a lot less than that of trying to band-aid the problems in the future.”

Steph, whose first grandchildren was born one week before lockdown, adds: “So often we’re talking about terrible things happening on the other side of the world.

“The UK has been hit hard by this. Maybe it will have opened people’s eyes to the reality that terrible things can, and will, happen to us here too, unless we act.

“This year so far we’ve had the wettest February, the sunniest spring, and the driest May since records began; this problem is not going away, it’s ramping up.”

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So is the necessary change possible, and does Extinction Rebellion Sheffield have a clear path forward?

Steph responds: “This isn’t something that can be tackled purely at a local level, it has to be a global movement.

“We need to think what kinds of actions we can do in a responsible and socially distanced way, and our focus is going to be targeting some of the big banks and polluters, and pushing for change.”

Peter adds: “For instance, we know this pandemic has brought aviation to an almost total standstill, but airline emissions needed reducing anyway, so let’s take this opportunity to not push it back to where it was.”

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Adam interjects: “And if we brought back a four-day working week, it would boost wellbeing and family time, make working hours more productive, and we would see a drop in emissions - from reduced commutes and power - whilst saving businesses money.”

Nathan says: “We’d also like to see Sheffield take an approach similar to Milan, in adopting a scheme to reallocate street space from cars, to cycling and walking.”

Steph adds: “We’ve been so impressed by the way small businesses and wholefood shops have stepped up in this climate, and we continue to be impressed by the people of Sheffield’s adaptability and spirit.

“It gives us hope that, when it matters, change is possible.”

Visit their site to find out how you can get involved.

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