They have a grouse about the way the world is inching towards climate disaster. So do environmentalists and informed people across the globe. Various multinational bodies – starting with the UN – are also concerned and taking steps, though, one can complain, ‘inadequate’ to mitigate.
So the ‘eco-vandals’ set about redressing their grievance by defacing/destroying various soft targets – art museums and historical landmarks. While the main arena of activity has been Italy, other parts of Europe have also been at the receiving end of the peculiar form of protest.
To begin with, I believe the coinage ‘eco-vandals’ itself is misleading to denote this group of millennials. ‘Eco-vandal’ appears to mean somebody inflicting damage on the environment. If so, that has to be the rest of us who are blamed to be perpetrators of actions that are hastening global warming and associated ills! The activists (or attention mongers) in question are more aptly christened as ‘art-vandals’ which they essentially are.
Consider the latest escapade of these wannabe climate activists. They poured charcoal, which, we are assured, is ‘vegetable based’ into Rome’s famed Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. Built in 1651 and famous as the Fountain of Four Rivers, the fount is an important tourist attraction of the Eternal City. The devious action hence could gain media coverage. But did it help in the quest for a cleaner environment? Quite the contrary since huge amounts of water – a dwindling resource due to global warming – is required to restore the fountain to its original state. Italy is planning to recover from the avowed enthusiasts the expenses for repair/restoration to rectify each such misdeed. Rightly so, as to why taxpayers should foot the bill for the wanton acts of the misled!
Indeed, there is one school of thought that thinks that these juvenile acts do attract the world’s attention to the need to slow down emissions, get rid of plastic, do away with fossil fuels, etc. The vandals justify their method by pointing out that traditional modes of protests are not leading to desired actions. While it is true that the steps are not gaining the requisite momentum in spite of many a climate conference, pouring misery on the already stretched resources or defacing the works of masters also shall not bring in the delectable dividends.
Time is ripe to confront the modern age vandals by punitive measures to drive home the message that asinine activism is not an alternative for affirmative action.
Vish
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