The flurry of articles by Richard Jones, Mandy Nolan, and one reprinted from Cosmos Magazine in last week’s Echo have each reminded us of the enormity of the ecological crisis we now face, and the predictable reaction of powerful entities in seeking to protect the destructive profiteering of fossil fuel and other companies.
And it’s only the beginning: the lines of civil unrest and state repression are being rapidly redrawn. The treatment of Violet Coco is an indication of things to come. As the Cosmos piece makes plain, the climate changes predicted for 2030 are here already, with more regular and intense extreme weather to come.
The truth is that the protesters are fighting for all our lives; for the life of the planet. Sounds cheesy? I might have thought so once upon a time, but no longer. Words like emergency and crisis suggest there’s a way out of this almighty mess. I’m not so sure. But even in the face of the worst, we have a moral duty to act. Nonviolent protest, mass civil unrest, and changes to how each of us lives are the only ways of curtailing the actions of polluters and their enablers. Acting now is the right, moral thing to do.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
