Pipelines will be blown up,' says David Suzuki, if leaders don't act on climate change

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/vancouversun.com/news/canada/pipelines-will-be-blown-up-says-david-suzuki-if-leaders-dont-act-on-climate-change/wcm/5c46590d-2bb7-4aab-83c7-166e9b337b00/amp/

David Suzuki, the godfather of the Canadian environmental movement, warned over the weekend that if politicians don’t act to reverse climate change, there could be attacks against oil and gas infrastructure.

“We’re in deep, deep doo-doo,” said Suzuki Saturday, speaking at an Extinction Rebellion protest on Vancouver Island. “This is what we’re come to. The next stage after this, there are going to be pipelines blown up if our leaders don’t pay attention to what’s going on.”

Suzuki, reached by the National Post on Monday, said violence within the environmental movement is already happening, although he identified police actions against anti-logging protesters and anti-gas pipeline protesters as the culprits.

Asked whether or not he would support the bombing of pipelines, Suzuki said, “Of course not.”

(Excerpt)

[cilla4progress]

1. Suzuki is a hero

of mine.

[Victor_c3]

2. I'm not sure how I feel about this

I admire his resolve and willingness to act and do something, but acts of terrorism are tough for me to accept.

[rockfordfile]

6. I agree

[GoCubsGo]

7. I don't think he's advocating terrorism.

He's warning that there are people out there who will resort to it if nothing is done.

[Dial H For Hero]

13. He certainly comes close, though.

Still, Suzuki warned he feels that there are few remaining options for protesters who feel government isn’t moving rapidly enough to tackle climate change. What else is there but violence, he wondered.

[GoCubsGo]

14. No, that's the conservative National Post's spin on what he said.

Meanwhile, Asked whether or not he would support the bombing of pipelines, Suzuki said, “Of course not.”

[PTWB]

9. Terrorism?

That's a stretch if they're not targeting any humans. I'd say it is 'Enhanced Civil Disobedience'

[EX500rider]

20. Blowing up infrastructure is for sure terrorism. nt

[hatrack]

12. Noting that campfires are a bad idea in drought-killed forests isn't an "act of terrorism" . . . .

See also: Testifying that building apartment complexes below a failing dam would not be good, or opposing fireworks displays in oil refineries.

David Suzuki is just looking out the goddamned window.

[Bonx]

16. I try to make a point of not admiring terrorism

[Buckeyeblue]

18. Maybe it's the only way...I'm not advocating, I'm discussing...

The word terrorism has been defined pretty widely so that world leaders can apply it as need be to tamp down dissent. It's also an emotional word.

We went to war to stop Hitler. We went to war to stop slavery. We went to war to stop British suppression and gain our independence.

My question is what makes a war a war and terrorism an act of terror? The winner?

Non-violent protest is a noble idea. But how long do you give it?

[lagomorph777]

21. Yeah, not cool, and extremely bad for the environment.

Giant oil spills? That would be evil and idiotic.

[Qutzupalotl]

3. That would create an oil spill.

And possibly an oil fire. Extremely counterproductive to their aims. I hope they think this through and don’t do this.

[ShazzieB]

10. Yes, it would be an environmental nightmare. 😱

[Lancero]

11. Depends on what they're focusing on. Short term damage, or long term damage?

They want the companies gone, and well... Large scale disasters get the clean up efforts. If a company starts refusing to support cleanup efforts, that's a great way to turn the public against them.

Blow a line, cause a oil spill, and you've just tied up a lot of that companies resources into cleanup efforts. And hey, lines going to have to be shut down for repairs, so... Why not blow out some other sections along it? Total the line entirely?

Pop enough of that companies lines, and the clean up efforts will bankrupt them.

Basically, short term damage in exchange for preventing the line from ever being used again, preventing it from further contributing to more long term damage.

[Qutzupalotl]

17. I have a lot of problems with this. Please allow me to vent.

I have to think oil companies are sitting on vast cash reserves. Most sell oil all over the world. Hundreds or even thousands of acts of sabotage are unlikely to bankrupt them, although they would suspend transport and hinder sales while the acts of terrorism are being cleaned up.

But even if it did bankrupt the oil companies, who would finish cleaning up? If the companies declare bankruptcy, wouldn’t that let them off the hook?

Oil disasters are huge messes. Restoration is never perfect. Spills are never entirely cleaned up. The scale of terrorist attacks needed to get rid of all domestic oil companies would turn our country into one big environmental disaster — and the companies would simply sell to other countries to survive.

I have to hope that environmentalists who truly love the Earth will not go down this road.

[anti stupid]

4. THE BEST WAY TO "BLOW" UP PIPELINES

or at least make them obsolete, is to for governments to invest in alternative energy without giving oil companies a handout to misuse.

[lagomorph777]

22. How about subsidies for oil companies to convert to being renewable energy providers?

Get them on our side (and incidentally, Manchin too)

[anti stupid]

28. ah wait

That would be a ...No. Why would we trust the oil companies ? Better to fund competitors with iron clad protections against big take- overs etc.

[MagickMuffin]

5. Years ago my friends formed a Land Scout business

We surveyed land in Texas. Very interesting and fun.

I noticed while surveying was pipelines above ground. I thought at the time this would be a terrorist dream to find these above ground pipelines and blow them up.


Of course that would have a tremendous impact on the environment if someone were to blow them up.

Not a solution to the problem.

[jalan48]

8. What do we expect? Do we think younger people are going to passively sit by while they watch

their life source being destroyed? It's no wonder we are seeing an authoritative, Fascist movement taking over. Those who currently benefit from the status quo aren't interested in debating the issues. It's time for do as we say or else.

[karynnj]

15. Blowing up pipelines would likely create even worse ecological disasters

It is too cute by half that he states pipelines will be blown up and then says when asked that he "of course not" is against that. This kind of speech may discredit a very important movement. He has to know that enemies will use that statement against him.

[NickB79]

23. There's literally no ecological disaster worse than the one we're creating with climate change now

We're kicking off the worst global ecological collapse since the extinction of the dinosaurs.

[SKKY]

19. Well now. Isn't this just super helpful...

[NickB79]

24. There will come a day of reckoning

When the children of today grow up, see the utter wreck of a world we've left them, and turn their rage towards the previous generations that let this happen.

If you're over the age of 40, the world 20-30 yr in the future won't be a friendly place for you. The generations that consumed and polluted the planet into an ecological collapse, who were the last generation to be able to stop it but did nothing, will find themselves last on the list of those to be cared for, as civilization starts to collapse across large swathes of the globe. That restored, classic muscle car in your garage will draw looks of disgust the instead of admiration.

Blowing up pipelines is the least I'm afraid will be done, when the true scale of the catastrophe becomes obvious.

[Dial H For Hero]

25. I find it rather unlikely that civilization will be collapsing in 2 or 3 decades.

I suppose we'll see.

That restored, classic muscle car in your garage will draw looks of disgust the instead of admiration.

I've never been fond of muscle cars as such. I prefer a more "pure" sports car:



No looks of disgust thrown my way yet....

[SunImp]

26. I'll gladly accept all their hate

I do my part every day to make the world a better place. I take public transportation, walk or carpool to wherever I'm going. I plan to get a decent bike sometime soon. Whenever I see trash at the park or side streets I do my best to clean it up. I've convinced many of my friends and family to do the same because our children deserve to see a glimpse of a green world before it gets worse. I'll always root for politicians and leaders who make reducing carbon emissions one of their vital priorities. Whatever hate I get from the future generations I'll gladly accept it because we really did fail them by not putting enough effort in pressuring our leaders and execs of billion-dollar companies to do more and go green.

[Mr. Ected]

27. While I wouldn't ordinarily recommend ecoterrorism as a means to an end

When the END in this case would spell the cessation of life as we know it on Planet Earth, extreme problems require extreme solutions.

It's easy to be a righteous stalwart when life hasn't yet come to a crashing halt. The consequences of waiting for politicians to "work it out" may spell our doom, though.