The activists claimed famous evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin would support their cause if he were alive today, citing the ongoing sixth mass extinction.
Two women, representing climate activist group Just Stop Oil, have been arrested after spray-painting the grave of Charles Darwin at Westminster Abbey in London.
The two activists, named as 66-year-old Alyson Lee and 77-year-old Di Bligh, used orange chalk paint to write “1.5 is dead” on the grave of the renowned naturalist, best known for his groundbreaking work on evolution.
“1.5 is dead” refers to the widely recognised goal set to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reported on Friday (10 January) that last year marked the warmest global temperatures on record and was the first calendar year with an average temperature exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Separate analysis by the Met Office, the University of East Anglia, and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science also concluded that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded and “likely” the first to surpass the 1.5°C threshold.
“We are trying to get the government to act on climate change. They are not doing enough,” said Lee.
Bligh said: “We’ve done this because there’s no hope for the world, really. We’ve done it on Darwin’s grave specifically because he would be turning in t grave because of the sixth mass extinction taking place now.”
Lee added: “I believe he would approve because he was a good scientist and he would be following the science, and he would be as upset as us with the government for ignoring the science.”
A spokesman for the church where the burial is located said they did not expect any permanent damage and that the church’s doors were open to worshippers and visitors.
What is the Just Stop Oil movement?
Just Stop Oil describes itself as a coalition of activists from a number of collaborating environmental organisations.
Founded in February 2022, the movement’s main aim is to stop the British government’s new oil projects. Activists are also calling for investment in renewable energy and for buildings to have better thermal insulation to reduce waste.
The group’s website states the following: “We are working together to ensure the government commits to ending all new licences and permits for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK.”
The movement has targeted several works of art, renowned prehistoric UNESCO World Heritage Site Stonehenge, and attempted to target Taylor Swift’s jet.
Check out Euronews Culture’s interview with Alex De Koning, a Just Stop Oil spokesperson who believes that pushing cultural buttons can make people question their comfort zones.