Better Broken Windows than Broken Promises | Money Rebellion | Extinction Rebellion UK - YouTube

Pandemics like covid19 are caused  by our impact on the natural world

and they're a part of the climate  and ecological crisis that we're in

we're likely to see more pandemics as the crisis worsens as climate change worsens and there's more biodiversity loss

this experience right now is telling us a lot about what happens to ordinary

people during such crises in this age of crisis  despite being a known and very significant risk

many countries were not prepared for the  crisis and some governments like the uk

have been reluctant to take the necessary action to protect their citizens

basically this has a direct impact on how many of us die and it's why a British medical journal editorial this February

considers the UK government to be murdering its  citizens estimates suggest that 300,000 people  

die already annually related to climate change  and air pollution kills 64,000 people in the UK

and those of us that are more vulnerable those of  us with the least responsibility here and overseas  

are the ones that have the worst impacts first  'the eyes of millions of people around the world are on you'  

so the paris agreement of 2015 committed world  leaders to take measures to limit global warming  

to well below two degrees celsius preferably to one  and a half degrees celsius to protect vulnerable countries

a paper in Nature Climate Change this  January says that we are already committed to two  

degrees of warming this Paris agreement then  is over our leaders failed us   

we are entering extremely dangerous territory with catastrophic  tipping points already being breached according to some scientists 

and 17 ecological scientists in institutions spanning the globe said in a paper  

earlier this year the scale of the threat  to the biosphere and all its life forms  

including humanity is in fact so great that it's  difficult to grasp even for well-informed experts  

a glimmer of hope from the science is that if we  rapidly reduce emissions then the two degrees of warming

might not be hit till much later giving us time to both adapt and to remove carbon

but our leaders aren't pushing for rapid action they're ignoring the science targets are inadequate and they aren't even being met

we are on a path towards the collapse of our civilizations

and with billions dying in our children's  lifetime according to some scientists

those who are failing to lead adequate action on the climate and ecological crisis

are committing crimes against humanity they're happening now

these leaders are not being held to account properly because our media is captured by billionaires who are pushing their own agenda

as part of a plutocracy which is a fake  democracy being run for the benefit of the few

so what else is in the way of us deciding to  protect what we love through emergency mode action

why are we letting life on earth be killed  put simply some people are making too much money

and our economic system has got destruction baked-in banks and the finance system are funding new

fossil fuels and biodiversity destruction to  the tune of an astronomical $2.7 trillion dollars  

that's been increasing since this Paris agreement  15% of it coming from the UK with banks like HSBC

providing £87 billion and Barclays £118 billion 

you can find out what your country's banks are doing by checking out the links below

the finance system also includes the world of offshore shadow banking that allows vast tax dodging

the equivalent of a annual nurse's salary every second  that's a rigged system that's a form of neo-colonialism

it's in favor of the few and the money is there to  sort out this crisis but it's hidden out of sight  

this isn't largely about bad actors though it's  about an economic system that functions like a

cancer it's killing us we need leaders to tell the  truth our political economy distorts priorities

and it rewards harmful behaviour it is hardwired to create crises and destroy life

we must set aside differences and confront why we fail to act  we need action now that's what the science says

banks and financial bodies must stop financing  destruction and we need an economy that has the

purpose of maximizing well-being minimizing  harm repairing the damage and preparing for  

further crises that will inevitably come  we want those in power to trust the people  

and champion citizens assemblies at all  levels including global with mandates to  

design a regenerative political economy in  service to all people and to life on earth

great mystery great spirit giving thanks  for our lives and gratitude for the beauty  

of life on earth asking for help so  that we can step forwards with courage  

and love to be in service to life on earth so that we do all that we can to protect current  

and future generations we are offering our  lives and our actions as a prayer calling in  

the deep changes needed to save ourselves we pray  that those in power can now relinquish control  

that they can trust the people to forge a new way a new way for us to live and be together

as we hammer home the need for humanity  to rewire this political economy let us  

shatter the illusion that this current system  can help us let us shatter the illusion  

that this current system has  our best interests at heart  

as we break windows let it be like the breaking  of our waters as we birth a new paradigm  

a new paradigm in which we take care of each  other and this beautiful blue green planet  

we ask for understanding from those impacted  by our actions the communities and staff  

who might experience a shock please hear us that this is an act of deep love  

and that we are doing this for your  children too as conscientious protectors

amen aho mitakwe oyasin to all of our relations

history shows us that civil disobedience is  necessary for change and historically tactics  

have included window breaking first by the  Chartists and then copied by the Suffragettes  

one of whom said in 1910 words that resonate today  

she gave me a hammer there were words on it  better broken windows than broken promises  

Sylvia Pankhurst wrote since we must go to prison  to obtain the vote let it be the windows of the  

government not the bodies of women which shall be  broken I say let it be the windows of the banks  

that are broken not the life support systems  of the earth and our children's future

let it be the windows of this failed system that are  broken not our family across the world thank you

you