Extinction Rebellion floats “Sinking House” on the Thames.
Extinction Rebellion Sends a Sinking Home Along the River Thames, Warning of Climate Disaster
by Sarah Rose Sharp
Hyperallergic
November 13, 2019
Climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion staged a public protest over the weekend, in the form of a floating structure that created the illusion of a suburban house sinking into the River Thames in London. Titled “The Sinking House,” the intervention took place in the early hours on Sunday, November 10, and is intended as a public appeal to politicians to make a more stringent and immediate response to regulate the effects of human industry and waste on the environment.
“A classic suburban house was seen floating down the river, sinking into the water in yet another attempt to send an SOS to the government on climate inaction and draw attention to the threat humans face from climate change and rising sea levels,” read a statement released by the group in connection with the event. The statement directly referred to an ongoing flood crisis affecting properties and populations across England, with nearly 50 flood warnings from the Environment Agency in place this week. According to BBC reporting, the weather has resulted in hundreds of flooded properties in Derbyshire and Yorkshire, causing thousands of citizens to be evacuated from their homes, and at least one death — that of former Derbyshire High Sheriff Annie Hall, who was swept away by flood waters.