Extinction Rebellion environmental activists block traffic in the financial district of the City of London during rush hour on April 25 London. WIktor Szymanowicz / NurPhoto / Getty Images
The UK parliament became the first national legislative body in the world to declare a climate change "emergency" Wednesday. The historic move closely follows Extinction Rebellion protests that blocked traffic in key parts of central London for a week in April.
Climate change activists gather in front of the stage at the Extinction Rebellion group's environmental protest camp at Marble Arch in London on April 22, on the eighth day of the group's protest calling for political change to combat climate change. TOLGA AKMEN / AFP / Getty Images
Climate change demonstrators gather in Parliament Square during climate change protests in central London, on April 15. Robin Pope / NurPhoto / Getty Images
More than 100 people were arrested during ongoing climate change protests in London that brought parts of the British capital to a standstill, police said Tuesday.
Environmental protesters from the Extinction Rebellion group stage a demonstration in Parliament Square London on April 15. TOLGA AKMEN / AFP / Getty Images
By Jake Johnson
The Extinction Rebellion movement kicked off a week of marches, demonstrations and peaceful civil disobedience across the U.S. and around the world on Monday to demand "systemic changes to stop global warming while there's still time left."
In Scotland, climate campaigners plan to shut down Edinburgh's North Bridge to get their government's attention. Similar disruptions are planned in dozens of cities across the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
Ever since 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg called for the first global climate strike last month, it has become a weekly routine for students to skip class on Fridays to march for their futures and those of future generations.
Protestors block traffic on Westminster Bridge, demanding urgent action on climate change. Amer Ghazzal / Barcroft Media via Getty Images
On Saturday, More than 6,000 climate activists shut down five bridges in Central London. The protest, organized under the banner of Extinction Rebellion to call for urgent action on climate change, was the first to intentionally block the bridges "in living memory," the group reported.
Anti-fracking protesters hold a demonstration outside Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in central London on Nov. 12. ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP / Getty Images
In 2012, geophysicist Brad Werner gave a talk at a conference asking the question, "Is Earth F**ked?" The answer? Not if ordinary people fought back in a movement reminiscent of the Civil Rights or anti-slavery struggles, Think Progress reported at the time.
