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October 08th, 2007 |
Posted in Responsible Transport, Climate Change, Activism by Tracy Stokes
You may recall a post here a while ago about a group in Sweden who call
themselves The Indians of the Concrete Jungle. Their campaign involves
deflating tyres on 4-wheel drive vehicles and is spreading across Sweden like
wildfire, stirring up a national debate and bringing out the worst in 4 4
drivers.
Here is a message from The Indians of the Concrete Jungle to the rest of the
world:
Everyone knows it: action on climate change is a matter of utter urgency.
Nonetheless, carbon emissions continue to accelerate, powered by the
uncontrollable machines of the world economy. One eminent sign of this rush to
disaster is the trend of SUVs, clogging the streets in our Western cities,
emitting up to three times more carbon than cars of average size on the market.
SUVs have become a symbol of the irrational destruction of the most basic
conditions of life. Attached to no human need whatsoever - only to the
conspicuous consumption of an affluent class, feeling the need to flaunt
monster vehicles - they constitute perhaps the most insane source of
unnecessary carbon emissions. Everyone should know it: if we can t deal with
SUVs swiftly, we can t deal with any other emissions either. And nothing less
than our survival is at stake.
Armed with this analysis, and with mung beans or grains of gravel, a group
called The Indians of the Concrete Jungle has struck against hundreds of SUVs
in Sweden in recent months. The first action occured in the poshest part of
innercity Stockholm in June. Tyres on 60 SUVs in stermalm were deflated. A
weblog was posted on the internet, and since then, the campaign for disarmament
of SUVs in Sweden has spread like wildfire. To this date, approximately 1000
SUVs have been temporarily disarmed in at least nine Swedish cities, including
the three largest (Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malm ) as well as several smaller
cities; new tribes are popping up by the week. The Indians of the Concrete
Jungle have appeared in virtually every major media outlet in the country -
from a prime time debate on national television, to a very sympathetic report
in the company of Indians in action published in the biggest morning newspaper,
to an op-ed piece in the biggest evening paper and countless news reports in
local media. Thus, in a matter of months, the issue of unnecessary carbon
emissions in general and SUVs in particular have risen to the top of the agenda
in Sweden something that never happened before and ownership of the vehicle
has become all the less convenient.
Sweden is unique in Europe in its addiction to SUVs. Carbon emissions from new
cars on Swedish roads are some 20 percent above the European average; no males
in the EU emit as much by driving cars as Swedish males do. This is largely due
to the success of Volvo s SUV model XC90, as well as other cars from the
consistently climate destructive company. The Indians of the Concrete Jungle
have decided to change this situation.
The action performed by the Indians is simple. The cap of the tyre s valve is
unscrewed, a bean or a grain of gravel is inserted, and the valve is screwed
back on the tyre. The little thing will push down the peg in the middle of the
valve, making sure the air is gently released. The whole manoeuvre takes about
10 seconds, after which follows the long sound of the air petering out. A
letter to the owner is left on the widescreen, wherein the action is explained.
Instructions and the letter are available on the weblog, for all like-minded
activists to use and spread lavishly. The Indians refrain from targeting SUVs
used by handicapped drivers, health care institutions and company workers.
Though the response has, in general, been positive among the public,
considerable fury and aggression have arisen among SUV-owners. A counterforce
calling itself The Cowboys of the Concrete Jungle has appeared, threatening
to deflate the lungs of the Indians, presumably with knifes. On various
internet communities run by motorists and soldiers, plans are made to guard
SUVs and beat or even kill Indians; public supporters of the cause have been
subject to threats of attacks on their homes. Undaunted, the Indians of the
Concrete Jungle have continued and escalated the campaign, and so far, no one
has been hurt. Only one Indian has been nabbed by Swedish police, though it has
not even decided what kind of criminal offense deflating tyres actually
constitutes if indeed it is a crime at all.
The conflict surrounding the actions is considered a success in itself. There
are real, social contradictions in the field of climate change between those
who emit carbon relentlessly and those who suffer the heaviest losses, and
bringing these to light is crucial for any progress. Not everyone will fight
climate change. Not everyone will give up their lethal privileges voluntarily.
The Indians of the Concrete Jungle are determined to continue their campaign of
disarmament. If it is done repeatedly and on a massive scale, deflating tyres
will develop from a slight annoyance in the eyes of the owners into a real
obstacle for driving SUVs. Imagine waking up to a car without air in the tyres
every morning, or even once a week! The campaign is poised to spread further in
Sweden, and now the Indians are looking forward to tribes taking up the cause
in other countries as well. In the pursuit of spreading the word, all
declarations of recent actions will hereafter be posted in English as well as
Swedish.
If you d like to read more, or are considering starting your own tribe, visit
the official website of The Indians of the Concrete Jungle.
Posted: 2007767@754.17
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stranger
1000 SUVs? Bullcrap!
If that number was anywhere near the truth then it would have been headline
news here in Sthlm. There have been some SUVs vandalised but nowhere near that
many...stupid.
permalink
uriel 3 points 1 hour ago
You see, this is not real information, it is called propaganda it is not
supposed to match reality.
(And yes, I also live in Stockholm, and I had not heard of it until now)
permalink parent
racist 2 points 31 minutes ago*
(And yes, I also live in Stockholm, and I had not heard of it until now)
You just heard of it. There's a first time for everything.
The article says:
To this date, approximately 1000 SUVs have been temporarily disarmed in at
least nine Swedish cities, including the three largest (Stockholm, Gothenburg
and Malm ) as well as several smaller cities;
Nine cities. That's an average of 111 per city, or 111 in Stockholm. Let's be
generous and say there were 200 there, since it's a major city. The population
of Stockholm is 1.6 million, so 200 into 1.6 million is .000125 per capita.
Put into national perspective, with a population of 9.1 million, 1000 SUVs
attacked corresponds to .00011 per capita.
Which sounds like a completely reasonable number to me.