Grief at all the destruction

The University of Oxford Museum of Natural History teamed up with Extinction Rebellion today to put on an inspired event - an Art and Science Extravaganza (every word accurate). 

On the lawn in front of the museum was a welcome by a fabulous dancer (extra) who's been dancing spectacularly at events all over Oxford at least since I first met her at a refugee event 18 years ago. Back then, it was just that she couldn't stop dancing. Now she has huge presence and organised a large circle and got everyone doing moves I'd thought I'd never manage. I did!

The Museum Director told us that 30 years ago, when he first researched in North Greenland, it was covered in deep snow with the very occasional resilient plant. Now it is grassland. 

He was introducing an excellent talk on the scientific consensus about climate change which connected clearly all the disparate things I've read little bits about: fossil fuel consumption, monocultures, forest loss, biodiversity, carbon dioxide production, the ozone layer, biofeedback loops, tipping points...

Then there were performances about species at risk, workshops to give us hope just when it all seemed too much to bear and the glorious red rebel brigade (another extra).