Extinction Rebellion is about to take its climate change message to the music charts, with the release of its first single.
The protest group has joined forces with Lancashire-based rock band The Jade Assembly, hoping to claim Christmas No.1 with a song that calls for action on climate change, “before we’re all dead”.
The single, called Time For Change, comes with a video featuring footage from the group’s protests around the world in the past six months, with the main focus on London, according to PA Media.
The video will include doctored shots of the Houses of Parliament on fire, Downing Street in flood, and MPs including former Prime Minister Theresa May wearing gas masks.
Lead vocalist, John Foster, sings: “So whether you’re a lucky man, a banker or a broken man, I’m standing here for everyone who’s never too afraid to say – we need you now, we need voices.
“A time to look ahead and now a time before we’re all dead, come on, it’s time for a change. I need everyone to be with me and I need everyone in here tonight to be themselves, so come on.”
The single will be released in early December. It comes after wildlife charity WWF told HuffPost UK the world needs to change the way it celebrates Christmas.
“At the moment our current levels of consumption are wiping out nature and are driving climate change and we’ve got to change the model pretty massively,” said Fanny Calder, director of campaigns and public affairs.
She also called on the government to implement legislation forcing retailers into greener habits, saying current efforts from high street stores do not go far enough. “I think there’s no question that there’s scope for retailers to be doing much, much more and we urge them to do more,” she said.