A few days ago, two environmental activists, part of the group “Just Stop Oil”, threw cans of tomato soup on Van Gogh’s masterpiece, Sunflowers, exhibited at the National Gallery in London. The purpose of this action was to demand the immediate cessation of any new oil or gas-related projects.
Public opinion, highly interested in what happened, now debates whether climate activists’ divisive methods are alienating and ineffective or justified.
On the one hand, this episode shines a light on people’s value systems, who seem to value a work of art more than a piece of nature. Throwing tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s painting, which is protected by glass, has caused more outrage globally than spilling oil across entire ocean ecosystems.
However, the activists drew the attention they were looking for, but it seemed there was any link between the protest and the message. “These protesters are brave, they will certainly be on the right side of the story, but they need to seize the conversation, not just the spotlight,” said one of The Guardian’s interviewees, Tristan Snowsill, economist and healthcare lecturer.
For some, the cause is certainly right, but it is the method that is wrong. A better method would be to target politicians in order to have a little more impact, as they are the ones who can make decisions.
On the other hand, many people think there is a need for such tactics because there is no time left, as governments have not listened to 30 years of campaigning. For decades, people have signed petitions, sent letters to parliamentarians, and voted, while CO2 levels are high, deforestation and pollution are on the rise and there is massive overfishing.
“People should perhaps understand that climate justice is bigger than public opinion”. Environmentalists do not aim at winning the sympathy of the public, but they are trying to be heard, to try to talk to everyone about the emergency of climate change.
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