Doctors attacked a dinosaur at the Natural History Museum for the sake of the environment

Environmental activists staged a protest in London

Two environmental activists have been arrested at London’s Natural History Museum after they spilled cornstarch on a giant dinosaur skeleton reconstruction and demanded the UK government stop oil and gas projects.

The site of the protest was an exhibition where, this spring, a reconstruction of Patagotitan mayorum, one of the largest known creatures that has ever walked on our planet, was shown for the first time. The Titanosaurus: Life of the Largest Dinosaur project is scheduled to run until January 2024.

The participants of the action were doctors: gastroenterologist Will Stableforth and physiotherapist Steve Fay. Before staging his “performance” at the Natural History Museum, Stableforth said: “Like this long-extinct dinosaur, humanity is in grave danger and could repeat its fate. I have spent many years caring for patients with diseases caused by fossil fuels. Most of the treatments were ineffective. The climate crisis is a health emergency for all of us.” After which the doctors called on the public to go to a protest march in London on October 30.

The action took place against the backdrop of an ongoing scandal due to the fact that Britain froze environmental reform: the country was going to switch to electric cars by 2030, but has now moved the deadline to 2035. This decision caused a wave of indignation among the British. Even the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Millions of people are now upset by the news that the Prime Minister is taking a step back on the green agenda.”

For a long time it seemed that the methods of struggle of environmental activists were barbaric, but now it is obvious that the climate agenda, despite the economic crisis and international conflicts, does not leave the front pages and the British government cannot simply brush it aside. Proof of this is the fact that the freezing of the “green reform” caused serious passions in both society and the government. And the “Just Stop Oil” movement, forgive the tautology, adds fuel to the fire. There is a high probability that after the doctors’ rally at the museum, people will take to the streets. So far, environmental activists have not achieved much, but it seems they can.

However, most activists and supporters of environmental reform forget that it can have an even more negative impact on the environment. Before banning oil and gas projects, it is necessary to find an adequate alternative, which electric cars, solar panels, etc. are not – after all, it is not clear how to dispose of them without harming the environment.

“The transition to electric vehicles entails an increase in the consumption of fossil fuels necessary to generate electricity,” says expert Pyotr Snesarevsky. – Moreover, this will require even more oil and gas than for the production of gasoline. And no one thinks about what to do with the highly toxic waste from battery production and that there is still no technology for recycling these batteries. And that the rare metals used in batteries are also a non-renewable resource that will run out much earlier than fossil fuels. Of course, it is much easier to carry out acts of vandalism in museums than to focus public attention on the need to develop new, truly environmentally friendly methods of generating and storing energy. But for this you need to be at least a little in the know, and who needs and is interested in this in the age of amateurs and populists?