Extinction Rebellion Co-founder Roger Hallam appears topless on the Worldwebforum stage to demonstrate and inspire courage for civil disobedience.
January 20, Zurich — If 2000 people in Switzerland go on a hunger strike in downtown Zurich, that would be enough to cause the Swiss Government to re-evaluate its climate change policies, says Roger Hallam, the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion. His ideas on civil disobedience, as radical as they may seem to some, may well be catching on as recent European-wide civilian-led climate actions have proven.
In fact, no other time in history have we witnessed such well-coordinated, consistent and international mass movements aimed at tackling a global threat. The climate action that Extinction Rebellion, Greta Thunberg, and millions of people, particularly the younger generation, have engaged in during these past few years has inspired the world. More importantly, they are also inspiring, if not also urging, many policy-makers and business leaders to take concrete steps. In fact, at the Worldwebforum , Roger did just that. Following his presentation, the speaker improvised a workshop to educate the many executives in attendance on how to substantially help preserve the planet.
Acting fast and effectively is what we should collectively focus on, and that takes courage. “Courage is not about success, it is about failure and humiliation!” Roger bellowed to the audience. To demonstrate his point, Roger spontaneously started to unbutton his shirt. The room went silent. Roger had taken his shirt off. He explained that doing that was something he was afraid of, but that this same fear is shared among every individual, and that it was important to demonstrate to people that acting despite fear was necessary. “I am a human being. I fail as a father. I fail on my Vegan diet, and if I need to get a milk chocolate bar, I get it, to lift my spirits. I am a human being just like you.”
Shifting his gaze to the audience, Roger then remarked that the climate emergency was about economic collapse and destroying lives. Roger remarked that “every single person in the room would be responsible for killing another” because the climate collapse is harming everyone, and that the act of taking 40-50 flights a year is akin to destroying the livelihoods of others, in Africa for example. Roger ended his session with an urgent call to action, requesting that we take global coordinated action now or risk tremendous suffering. As its key spokesperson, Roger has incited audiences to change and lauded ER’s successes in raising awareness of key issues.
Watch the full speech here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=papzmteREAk
The Extinction Rebellion is a British global environmental movement with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse.
About Worldwebforum
Over the past seven years, Worldwebforum in Zurich has developed into a meeting place for decision-makers who create sustainable value in entrepreneurially managed companies.
Thanks to close relationships with leaders in Silicon Valley, China, Europe and top academics globally, Worldwebforum brings together the most progressive minds with the aim of empowering radical change in the world. The annual meeting in Zurich convenes influential speakers such as Steve Wozniak, Cofounder of Apple, Jay Simons, President of Atlassian, Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web, Ed Catmull, Founder of Pixar, Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man, David Sable, Global CEO of Young & Rubicam and Bill Wyman, Co-Founder and Former Bassist of The Rolling Stones. In 2020, Lars Ulrich, Co-founder and Drummer for Metallica; Roger Hallam , co-founder Extinction Rebellion; Brittany Kaiser , Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower and Sepp Blatter , former FIFA President will join the list of acclaimed headlining speakers.
Facts & Figures:
- 1,500 attendees
- 75% executives
- 570’000 live-stream viewers
For further media enquiries, imagery and logos contact:
Justine Violante
Chief Marketing Officer
justine.violante@worldwebforum.com
Phone +41 (0)76 512 32 88
Blog: www.worldwebforum.ch/blog
Social Media: #worldwebforum
Twitter & Instagram: @worldwebforum