Beyond Today

Does climate activism have a privilege problem?


Listen Later

In October, a video went viral after Extinction Rebellion protesters disrupted public transport by protesting on the roof of a train at Canning Town station in east London. The stunt took place during rush hour and the intention was to raise awareness of the climate emergency. But it ended in angry commuters dragging the protesters off the train and the video sparked a debate around climate activism and privilege.

This week Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will be joining world leaders in Madrid for the COP25, a UN conference aimed to tackle the climate emergency. In the UK, Extinction Rebellion is continuing with protests around the General Election. But not everyone can afford to prioritise the cause.

We spoke to Mahatir Pasha, who filmed the incident at Canning Town, and to Karen Bell, a senior lecturer at the University of the West of England. Karen Bell, author of ‘working-class environmentalism’, spoke about both the positive and negative aspects of XR’s campaign and discussed the class divide in climate activism generally. We also hear from climate activist Fatima-Zahra Ibrahim, who explains why the climate movement isn’t as accessible as we may think.

Presenter: Tina Daheley

Producers: Seren Jones, Philly Beaumont, Wahiba Ahmed and Hanan Bihi
Mixed by Nico Raufast
Editor: John Shields

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Beyond TodayBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

90 ratings


More shows like Beyond Today

View all
This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

91,297 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,913 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,067 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,576 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,808 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,729 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,018 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,952 Listeners

London Real by Brian Rose

London Real

1,189 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,791 Listeners

Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson

Modern Wisdom

4,025 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,245 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

779 Listeners

The High Performance Podcast by High Performance

The High Performance Podcast

575 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,506 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,600 Listeners

Honestly with Bari Weiss by The Free Press

Honestly with Bari Weiss

8,447 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

2,131 Listeners

Great Company with Jamie Laing by Jampot Productions

Great Company with Jamie Laing

313 Listeners

Where Shall We Meet by Omid Ashtari & Natascha McElhone

Where Shall We Meet

14 Listeners