by Sam Eaglesham
Image from the Guardian
On Friday 14th October, members of the climate activist group ‘Just Stop Oil’ threw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s famous painting Sunflowers in an attempt to draw attention to government inaction over climate change. Cue outrage and hysteria. The usual suspects piped up: Piers Morgan decried their actions as ‘childish, petty vandalism’, whilst Daily Mail coverage described the group as perpetuating a ‘relentless campaign of chaos’. Never mind the climate crisis, never mind our addiction to fossil fuels, never mind the crippling decline in our living standards that climate change threatens – how could those heartless activists threaten a priceless painting?
The actions of the group are murky territory for those who consider themselves firm supporters of the climate cause, but also fine upstanding citizens respecting law and order (and perhaps with an appreciation for art). Yes, they acted in admirable spirit, but it is dubious as to what Just Stop Oil succeeded in doing, other than irritating the gallery-goers of the world. Though I can admire an activist group which acts peacefully outside the bounds of the law to make a political point, what did the group really believe they would achieve? Throwing soup at a painting appears nonsensical, an act purely dedicated to provoking annoyance; and despite my sympathies towards the group, it is Just Stop Oil’s ineffectiveness which is the most notable thing about them.
The Just Stop Oil campaign began in April of 2022, in the same spirit as the Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain movements which had come before it. Through civil disobedience, from blocking roads to blockading oil facilities to vandalising businesses (and paintings), the aim of the group is to force the government to commit to completely stopping all fossil fuel production. Throughout their brief existence they have been controversial, praised for their well-meaning intentions but attacked for their methods; Just Stop Oil disrupts the lives of everyday people, but it is never quite clear how the group’s aims are advanced through this disruption.
If we are generous to them, Just Stop Oil perhaps succeeds in keeping the issue at the forefront of politics by disrupting and drawing media attention in new and increasingly outrageous ways, exposing to the public the comprehensive failure of our governments to address the problem, but it is debatable whether this publicity has led to any kind of tangible change. The group is essentially a lightning rod for outrage merchants, another example of ‘wokeism gone mad’ to point and yell at. Besides, will more media attention really achieve anything at this point? It is fair to say that the British population is well aware of what troubles are brewing on the horizon: preceding climate protests, in particular the school climate strikes, have made sure of that.
Here we reach the crux of the problem: though such stunts are invaluable in exposing the plight of lesser-known causes, climate change is not a ‘lesser-known’ problem. We know we must act against climate change quickly and we have known it for years, and yet still action is lacking – a series of protests blocking roads and vandalising art is not going to suddenly open politicians’ eyes to the crisis we are sleepwalking into, and the group’s campaign risks placing more focus on their methods, not their cause. The problem with the Just Stop Oil movement isn’t that they have ‘brutalised’ countless paintings (notwithstanding the fact that all the paintings they’ve targeted have been behind glass). Nor is it that they have somehow alienated people from the cause itself; the absurd idea that the Just Stop Oil campaign has upset moderate supporters of climate action so much that they give up environmentalism altogether. The real problem is that the group’s methods bring them no closer to achieving their aims. Does anyone honestly believe that the actions of Just Stop Oil will lead to change? The answer, I’m afraid, is no.
However, a deeper underlying problem arises in relation to this issue – what does an effective climate activist group actually look like? Perhaps the greatest task for contemporary climate groups is to overcome the overwhelming disconnect between public opinion and government action. People think the government should do more to address the climate crisis, but this sentiment has a minimal impact on government policy. Part of the problem is the disposition of those in power against radical climate action, and there is admittedly little activists can do to change the minds of the current government – yet the solution cannot just be to wait for the next general election in the hope that Keir Starmer’s moderatism will deliver the changes needed to tackle the climate crisis. We need protests, we need climate activism, we need cries for change, we need to do all we can to put the emphasis on tackling the climate crisis, but it needs to be done carefully; not isolating people but instead building a consensus behind a concrete and comprehensive strategy voters can rally around. Though politicians might still reject the need for more radical climate action, at least we would have a real alternative to the passivity we currently face, a clear route out of the mess we are in. The stunts of Just Stop Oil risk being a distraction that takes attention and energy away from the overwhelming seriousness of the current situation. Instead of fringe demonstrations that achieve nothing, activists must focus on inspiring, on creating real leadership and filling the space that ineffective politicians have left empty. Only then do we have any hope of change.
