Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia released a statement on Tuesday that at least 20 of its members have joined in a hunger strike to urge action on the climate crisis and highlight its intersections with food insecurity.
“As we lose agricultural crops and land to storms, flooding, desertification, soil depletion and other climate crisis impacts, food will become increasingly expensive and scarce. This is already happening now and will only get worse – much worse if we continue to put off acting on the crisis,” said ER member and hunger striker Jillian Oderkirk.
READ MORE: Halifax West Green Party candidate on hunger strike to force action on climate change
“We don’t know what it will take for the decision-makers to wake up and act – what event or signal they’re waiting for – but we’ll keep trying,” said Oderkirk, who is based in Halifax.
Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia is part of an international movement that started in the U.K. in 2018 and has been established in more than 56 countries. The organization aims to use non-violent civil disobedience to force governments to address and cut greenhouse gas emissions in order to avert a climate crisis.
Recently on Oct. 7, the group planned a bridge takeover, which coincided with other protests focused on bridges across Canada and abroad. Following the takeover of the Macdonald Bridge in Dartmouth, 18 people were arrested.
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Hunger striker Frances Vanderwel said he’s intending to fast for three days.
“I’m doing this in solidarity with fellow Extinction Rebellion Hunger Strikers and out of love for this beautiful earth and the life it still sustains,” Vanderwel said.
According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in August 2019, food insecurity is one of the main problems caused by the climate change crisis. It outlined how rising temperatures is affecting the earth’s food system – from changing precipitation patterns to coastal degradation to tropical crop yield decline.
Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia representatives say they’re asking people who are interested to fast for a period of time to reach out to the group or to organize a food drive or donate to Feed Nova Scotia.
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