More than 100 celebrity supporters of climate activists Extinction Rebellion (XR) who hail from Hollywood, the theater world, music, and the arts have admitted in an open letter being “hypocrites” over their high-carbon lifestyles.
That said, they think it best if everyone else not in their cohort do as they are told by Greta Thunberg and “fight for their already devastated future” before adding that critics “will not silence us.”
In essence, they claimed Wednesday: “Life on earth is dying. We are living in the midst of the 6th mass extinction.”
British actors Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lily Cole, Adam Clayton of U2 and Riz Ahmed are among the signatories on the letter, which was circulated by XR.
It also features sign-offs from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, writer Ian McEwan and former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
The missive was specifically addressed to journalists who had called the thespians and musicians hyprocrites, and said: “You’re right. We live high carbon lives and the industries that we are part of have huge carbon footprints.”
“Like you — and everyone else — we are stuck in this fossil-fuel economy and without systemic change, our lifestyles will keep on causing climate and ecological harm.”
It went on to say that articles labelling them “climate hypocrites” would “not silence us”, and encouraged more people to join the movement.
In a separate note, actor Steve Coogan said he believed XR “should be applauded for putting [climate] at the top of the agenda where it belongs.”
Their entreaty to the world to stop burning fossil fuel mirros the same plea from Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax,, Sir Mark Rylance and Juliet Stevenson and Olivia Colman who had already backed XR.
This is not the first time stage and screen actors have spoken up to back XR.
Dame Emma Thompson flew 5,400 miles to take part in XR protests in London back in April, as Breitbart News reported.
The actress, star of such films as Saving Mr Banks and Nanny McPhee, made the unusual decision to fly halfway around the world to join in the environmental protests in the capital. Speaking of the protests, Thompson said she couldn’t attend from the beginning as she was celebrating her birthday.
“I was not here on April 15 because I was with my husband because I was 60,” said the actress, who has been labelled a “champagne socialist” by critics.
“I absolutely wanted to be arrested on my 60th birthday but I haven’t quite managed that,” she added.
A flight from Los Angeles International Airport to London Heathrow generates at least 1.67 tonnes of CO2.
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