Mock funeral procession in Bath to mark "death" of nature
Extinction Rebellion hope to raise awareness of a loss of biodiversity
A dramatic street theatre performance will take place later today through the streets of Bath to raise awareness about the decline of the natural world.
The Funeral for Nature is a mock-funeral procession to improve awareness of the biodiversity crisis. It will include four hundred ‘Red Rebels’- a performance activist troupe- dressed in distinctive red outfits and hundreds of ‘mourners’ dressed in black. This will be the largest global meeting of Red Rebels ever seen, with people travelling from all over the UK and joined by groups from Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The procession hopes to highlight the UK’s position as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world because of a decline in its wildlife. A report in 2023 found there had been a 43% decline of bird species in the country and a 97% drop in wildflower meadows since the second world war.
One of the organisers of the event, Rob Delius, said: “It’s a bit unlike a normal protest with banners, signs and lots of noise. This is more like a piece of street theatre.
“We want people to really take notice of it and see this…and be really moved and inspired by it and to really want to know what it’s about”.
He adds: “We want it to be really striking and something that people want to post on social media so it can reach a much bigger audience and really get that message out much further than to just people on the day”.
Thousands of ‘Orders of Service’ will be given out to onlookers at the procession with information about the crisis and what they can do about it.
Similar ‘funerals’ will be taking place at the same time in Boston, Sydney, Gothenburg and Lisbon.
The Bath procession will be joined by nature campaigner Chris Packham who will deliver a ‘eulogy’ to the crowd at the end of the event in front of Bath Abbey.
Mr Delius told Greatest Hits: “Bath is a great place to have it. We think the red against the Bath stone is going to look really striking. It’s a very iconic and beautiful city.
“The route is about two hours long. We have tried to stick to more pedestrian areas but there will be some road closures. It’s a very well-organised event and we’ve worked with the police and council”.
The event has been planned to coincide with Earth Day, happening on 22 April to call attention to the fact we are at ‘CODE RED’ for nature.
Asked to comment by Greatest Hits Radio A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “While we respect the right to protest, the UK is a world leader in reaching net zero – forging ahead of many other countries by becoming the first major economy to halve its emissions, while also growing its economy by around 80 per cent.
“We are proud of our achievements, having over-delivered on our first, second, and third carbon budget.
“We are committed to meeting our legal net zero commitments and families will now have more time to make the transition, saving some people thousands of pounds at a time when cost of living is high.”