Climate activists stage "die-in" protest after hottest week ever

Climate activists staged a "die-in" protest in Glasgow demand action, as President Joe Biden tweeted that "our national security is at stake" due to climate change.

Glasgow, UK- Climate activists staged a "die-in" protest in Glasgow's city center to demand action after the UK recorded its highest ever temperatures earlier this week. On Saturday, US President Joe Biden tweeted that "our national security is at stake" due to climate change.

"We will not be bystanders. We refuse to bequeath a dying planet to future generations," Extinction Rebellion Scotland said.
"We will not be bystanders. We refuse to bequeath a dying planet to future generations," Extinction Rebellion Scotland said.  © Twitter/ScotlandXr

Extinction Rebellion disrupted Buchanan Street, one of the city's busiest shopping areas, as parts of Britain recorded temperatures higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit this week.

A similar "die-in" event was held in Boston earlier this month.

Activists in the Scottish city laid on the ground on Friday covered in white sheets with placards laid out next to the "bodies" with the "causes of death," including heat stress, famine, and water scarcity.

Onlookers stopped to witness the action while a sombre drum beat echoed through the popular shopping area.

Scotland recorded its hottest day in history on Tuesday, hitting 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It is the highest temperature in just under 20 years, with the previous record of 91 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in 2003.

Damien McGovern, a 41-year-old National Health Service (NHS) physiotherapist, said he took part in the "die-in" to urge for immediate action.

"If your house was on fire, you wouldn't sit around and have a chat about it for 30 years or choose to throw more fuel on it to burn even faster," he said. "So why are we allowing this to happen to our planet?"

Wolf Saanen from Glasgow said: "We've been sounding the alarm about the global climate emergency for years. Now it has arrived on our shores, will those with the power to change things finally listen?"

The climate crisis causes heatwaves and droughts across the world

A similar event was staged in Boston earlier this month, when members of performance troupe Red Rebel Brigade joined members of Extinction Rebellion and climate activists during Die-In For Climate Action.
A similar event was staged in Boston earlier this month, when members of performance troupe Red Rebel Brigade joined members of Extinction Rebellion and climate activists during Die-In For Climate Action.  © Joseph Prezioso / AFP

This summer has seen brutal heatwaves in the US and ones breaking records across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

President Joe Biden announced earlier this week he would be using his "executive powers to combat the climate crisis, in the absence of congressional action."

He tweeted about the alarming issue on Saturday: "Climate change doesn't care whether you're in a red state or a blue state: Hundred-year droughts are threatening farmlands and water sources."

"Our national security is at stake," he wrote.

Cover photo: Twitter/ScotlandXr

More on Environment and Climate: