Extinction Rebellion To Target Wimbledon Tennis Championships
Action against single-use plastics will start on the eve of tennis fortnight
Climate change campaign group Extinction Rebellion is staging a peaceful protest at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships against what it calls the “scourge” of single-use plastics.
Extinction Rebellion’s Wandsworth and Merton groups are launching the joint action, “Love All, Hate Plastic” from 2pm on Sunday (June 30). They say the action will continue as the tournament starts the next day, with an end date to be confirmed.
It said in a statement: “The Championships’ sponsors include drinks companies Evian and Robinsons who are responsible for adding to the unacceptable proliferation of single-use plastic waste that threatens biodiversity in our oceans and contributes to climate chaos.
“Most plastic bottles used for soft drinks and water are made from Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) which is recyclable. But as their use soars across the globe, efforts to collect and recycle the bottles are failing to keep up. Between 5 million and 13 million tonnes of plastic leaks into the world’s oceans each year to be ingested by sea birds, fish and other organisms, and by 2050 the ocean will contain more plastic by weight than fish, according to research by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who co-hosted the recent BBC documentary War on Plastic, said: “Plastic production has doubled since the year 2000, and it’s accelerating. If this trend continues, then by 2050, plastic production will be responsible for 15% of global carbon emissions.
“The Ineos plastic manufacturing plant in Grangemouth uses the same amount of electricity as Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen combined just to keep it running, plus huge quantities of fossil fuels, which are used to manufacture nearly all plastics.
“Recycling isn’t enough. If we want the Earth and its seas to remain habitable, we need to radically reduce the amount of plastic we use – and particularly single-use plastics.”
June 28, 2019