It's important to understand what's happening in the environment

To be provocative about it, dead whales in the Thames are a good sign:

A second whale has been found dead in the Thames less than two weeks after a humpback nicknamed Hessy died near the same stretch of water.

No, we are not in favour of dead whales. We are however in favour of there being enough whales around, especially in waters formerly clear of them, that the occasional dead one is found.

For one of the great environmental events of the past few decades is the explosion in the cetacean population in the waters of the world. That the occasional corpse now turns up in London’s river is a victory.

The proper consideration of environmental events is important. For failing to grasp what is happening leads into error:

Some Extinction Rebellion activists present climate warming as a disaster waiting to happen. But for my cousins in the global south, the dystopian future has already arrived. A staggering 12 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are facing hunger caused by low rainfall. Deadly tropical diseases are spreading more easily as the climate warms, and 780,000 people a year are dying in Africa because of air pollution. But for many black inner-city teenagers like me, the climate change movement conjures up nothing but apathy.

Obviously, we were all waiting for the race aspect of the current demonstrations to be raised. Bit consider that litany of suffering in Africa. Those 780,000 air pollution deaths a year.

It is regularly reported - thus should be well known - that this comes from an absence of industrial capitalism, not the presence of it. For the cause of those deaths is the use of wood or dung to cook upon indoors. We will reduce such deaths by more industry, more economic growth, not by the less that XR are calling for.

We entirely agree that a better environment would be a boon to us all. But we do insist that a certain amount of attention be paid to what is a better environment. As well as the evidence that we’ve already made the world better as we have with the whales - you know, moved from a hunter gatherer lifestyle to once where we consume the products of the factories?