Extinction Rebellion – one of Denver’s newest Keep It In the Ground groups – held a “Mass Day of Civil Disobedience” across the country today, including in Denver. EID was on the scene this morning, and saw firsthand that calling the event a “mass” gathering is a bit of an exaggeration.

In reality, as Extinction Rebellion’s own Facebook video shows, there were only a couple dozen protestors for the group’s morning round up. To be fair, it was a little chilly this morning, although the protesters were well prepared with products made from petroleum to warm them up.

The group also blocked traffic in Washington, D.C. this morning, to the annoyance of fellow environmental activists, with tactics that included lighting a dumpster on fire. The group is also planning a second protest in Denver during afternoon rush hour today.

This morning’s antics have received some attention from local news outlets like Colorado Public Radio, but this coverage barely scratches the surface on the group – that is known for extreme tactics like shutting down transportation, members supergluing themselves to the U.S. Capitol Building, and interrupting Denver City Council meetings – let alone its funding and motives. So, what CPR left out, EID provides.

Follow the Money

On its website, Extinction Rebellion makes no apologies about its strategy:

“We are promoting mass ‘above the ground’ civil disobedience – in full public view. This means economic disruption to shake the current political system and civil disruption to raise awareness. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience that this causes.”

But despite their no-compromise, 100 percent anti-fossil fuel strategy, Extinction Rebellion is far from grassroots and is actually being financed by old oil money. Aileen Getty, the granddaughter of the late oil billionaire J. Paul Getty, has used her portion of the family’s $5 billion net worth to help fund the group’s protests. Whether that money is still tied up in oil or if Getty has begun to divest her funds has yet to be confirmed, much like fellow billionaire Tom Steyer’s divestment pledge.

Using a multi-step process, Getty has used her Aileen Getty Foundation to set up the Climate Emergency Fund, which in turn has donated $600,000 to Extinction Rebellion, with promise of even more.

Living Large With Even Larger Emissions

Ironically, while Extinction Rebellion is protesting today to tell Colorado’s residents, businesses and industries to reduce their emissions, Getty is living the high life – high emissions life, that is. She owns multiple large homes with energy-intensive features that appears to fly in the face of climate activism.

As a 2017 Property Sharks report describes, the larger the home, the higher the emissions. The report explains:

If U.S. homes were an average of 1,200 square feet, CO2 emissions would be down 38 percent.” (emphasis added)

For perspective, Getty’s California mansion is more than four times larger than that at 5,255 square feet and her New York City townhouse has “six bedrooms, five bathrooms and a penthouse space” along with “wood-burning fireplaces, numerous outdoor spaces, heated flooring, wine storage and a hot tub.”

Getty and the Climate Emergency Fund is being advised by Trevor Nielsen, a publicist who advises celebrities on charity giving, and whose reputation centers around promoting himself, as well as his clients. According to a profile in the New Yorker:

“The philanthropy world relies on discretion and good judgment, but Neilson has demonstrated a tendency toward self-promotion—frequenting the Clinton Global Initiative, tweeting incessantly about G.P.G.’s accomplishments, writing a regular column in the Huffington Post. In Hollywood, he is increasingly criticized for confusing his clients’ celebrity with his own.”

So, while Extinction Rebellion may claim to be organic and grassroots, a simple Google search reveals it is anything but.

Meanwhile, the oil and natural gas industry, instead of protesting, is working to solve the problem collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders, including state environmental groups that have separated themselves from fringe KIITG groups like Extinction Rebellion. That process has demonstrated big results: increased energy production while lowering emissions.

Presidential candidate and Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, in fact, spoke on these efforts during an MSNBC climate town hall last week, and former Governor John Hickenlooper has long praised this collaboration, as well.

According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, emissions declined 14.7 percent from 2005 to 2016, even while natural gas production increased 50 percent and oil production increased 21 percent. In fact, cleaner-burning natural gas replacing traditional fuels has helped the United States lead the world in reducing carbon emissions.

Conclusion

Collaborative engagement in Colorado has had real impacts in lowering the state’s emissions – something that the yelling and disruption occurring downtown today has no chance of accomplishing. Emissions reductions are a key priority for residents and businesses alike, and they didn’t need to be help up in traffic all morning – with idling cars to boot – to be told that, something a truly “grassroots” group would already know.