Climate action and Extinction Rebellion: Milliband questions government

Formed in 2018, Extinction Rebellion is an environmental group who promote "nonviolent civil disobedience" in an attempt to force the Government to alter its climate change priorities and take a more radical approach to reducing the UK's carbon emissions.

Last week, the group staged a number of protests, including blocking roads and gluing themselves to stationary trains, which attracted significant media coverage.

• Watch Parliament TV: urgent question on climate action and Extinction Rebellion
• Read Commons Hansard: Climate Action and Extinction Rebellion

Following the urgent question from Ed Milliband, the Government made a statement.

Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, Claire Perry outlined the progress made in the UK to address climate change and said:

"Although the protests have been respectful and good natured they have caused disruption for many hundreds of thousands of hard working Londoners and they have required a heavy policing presence.

"Our progress to date has been supported by all political parties in the UK and I hope we can work together to drive the changes we must make to secure our future. We have to secure the future of planet A because there is no planet B."

Responding, Mr Milliband said;

"The truth is the planet is warming far faster than we are acting... it will get far worse if we do not act with much greater urgency.

"In these circumstances it is no wonder people are disrupting the traffic and school children are striking...the only credible answer of democratic politics in response to these protests is to admit that we need to raise our game and show that we can act."

• Read House of Commons Library briefing on UK's Carbon Budgets

Image: Julia Hawkins via Flickr

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