Cork protesters stage city centre climate ‘die-in’

Climate change protesters in Cork decided to lay down the law yesterday — by staging a ‘die-in’ in the city centre.

Several dozen people lay down in front of City Hall during the protest organised by the Cork branch of Extinction Rebellion (XR), a global movement aimed at forcing action on climate change.

Campaigners young and old gathered at midday yesterday, adorning the pavement and railings with colourful placards warning ‘time is up’ and urging local authorities to act on the environment.

Some passionate non-human protesters even took part in the event, with a few climate-conscious dogs joining their owners to highlight the need for action.

Others were taken by surprise by the demonstration; Mark Kernan, a part-time lecturer on climate change in UCC, discovered the protesters having been unaware of the event.

Saying he was “fully in support” of the cause, he said current average temperature rises would lead to “serious issues” for all generations.

“I’ve got 30 or 40 years left and I’m going to see it — if you’re in your 20s you’re certainly going to see some serious shit.

“There’s a lack of education about how serious this is going to get.

“Anybody who is 18, 19, 20, they are scared, and they should be.”

Green Party councillor Oliver Moran, who attended the protest, said: “We as a species are next if we keep things going the way they are.

We have to make changes locally in how we run a city — the transport we have, how people get to work. Trees seem to be number one for the chop in Cork, and they are the lungs of plants.

Wren Ind, an organiser of XR Cork, said she had a young child, and was “very scared for her future” unless things changed.

A talk on tackling climate change was held in UCC last night following the protest.