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Prof. Aseem Prakash in Forbes, "Vandalizing Museums, Disrupting The Burning Man, And Climate Activism"

Submitted by Stephen Dunne on September 5, 2023 - 9:54am

Prof. Aseem Prakash and colleague Prof. Nives Dolšak question in Forbes whether climate protests have become too disruptive.

"The Burning Man (BM) is an iconic music festival held every year in Nevada...Although BM began as a counterculture event, it now also attracts the affluent high-tech crowd, some of whom arrive in private planes and luxury RVs. This gentrification has provoked climate activists...Their grievances target capitalism in general and the Burners’ high carbon footprints and techno-optimism.

Arguably, the counterculture Burner crowd (which includes two billionaires who want to participate in a cage fight) should not have problems with counterculture protests. But it worked out differently. The Burners booed the activists blocking the road to the campsite. Moreover, the protesters were not welcomed by the Tribal Nation that owns this land. They were detained by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police which smashed through the activists’ road barriers. This raises the obvious question: Why are the “natural allies” of the climate movement not supporting their protests?"

Please link here for the full article.

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