Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion Hong Kong organised stunts over the weekend to raise awareness of the dangers of air pollution and the global climate crisis.
Members placed 35 shoes on the ground at Happy Valley Cemetery in Happy Valley on Sunday and staged a “die-in” to represent the number of people killed each week due to air pollution in the city.
“Pollution kills not only humans but all forms of life,” said activist Fred Macias. “The inaction of leaders is unacceptable, particularly when the government is raising limits to make ‘Asia’s World City’ look clean when the air is actually toxic.”
They then moved to Mong Kok with their protest banners – an area of Kowloon with among the highest levels of roadside pollution.
“Few people are aware of this direct and immediate effect of pollution: literally dozens of deaths every week!” said Pedro Dominguez in a press statement, “Visualizing them with pairs of shoes is eye-opening, and hopefully a trigger for action.”
The decentralised non-violent movement, which began in the UK, has been urging the government to declare a climate emergency and achieve decarbonisation by 2025, as opposed to 2050. They also want the authorities to form a Citizens’ Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice.
In March, the group organised a dinner party in the South China Sea to raise awareness of rising sea levels.
