Climate change activists protest outside Jersey banks

Tuesday 24 August 2021

A group of “concerned citizens of Jersey” are taking their campaign to US banking giant Citibank today in an effort to “sound the alarm” on climate change.

On Day 2 of a week-long set of “nonviolent actions of mindful civil disobedience”, the group is demonstrating outside of the Jersey offices of global businesses.

It began its campaign – organised in response to the IPCC’s recently published report on climate change – on Monday, when around a dozen people staged a lunchtime “die-in” in front of another US institution, JP Morgan Chase.

One of the group, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ““While our government has declared a climate emergency and pledged to be carbon neutral by 2030, we have not seen any meaningful action being taken. 

“Rather we are witnessing that those elected to serve us are making decisions that have made life more difficult and unsustainable for many islanders."

Pictured: A group of "concerned citizens" are bringing a climate change message to St. Helier this week.

“While they fail to deal with housing and rental costs, they continue to bang the drum for a failed economic model. It is not only decimating communities and resulting in an increase in social issues, but it is literally destroying our planet and robbing our children and grandchildren of a future.” 

The group, which includes members of the Red Rebels, says it is a mix of islanders from different backgrounds and not aligned to any particular organisation.

Another of the group said: “Although we are pleased that a Citizens’ Assembly [on climate change] was formed and recommendations made, the remit given to the Assembly was very narrow, meaning that the recommendations do not go nearly far enough."

Pictured: The "die-in" outside JP Morgan's Seale Street offices on Monday.

They continued: “There is still no wider plan from the Government as to how they are going to mitigate all the impacts that climate change will inevitably bring upon our Island, or who will be left to pay for it. 

“There is a complete failure to acknowledge that the key reason for the crisis we are now all facing is our economic system, which is built on the commodifying of all our natural resources. 

“As a consequence, it is destroying the environment and the very fabric of nature, which we seem to forget that we are an intrinsic part of.”

Pictured top: The group outside JP Morgan yesterday. (All photographs courtesy of Simon Langlois)