Inside Extinction Rebellion

In this episode we speak with Clare Farrell, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion. Clare reflects on XR’s origins, its rapid international rise, and how nonviolent direct action brought the reality and urgency of climate breakdown into mainstream public discussion.

This video was recorded on August 12th, 2026, and published on August 16th, 2026, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.

Against the backdrop of extreme heat, drought, and wildfires in the UK and across Europe, the conversation confronts the growing gap between climate reality and political preparedness. Clare discusses the suppression of climate activism, the failure of institutions to respond at the required scale, and the importance of recognizing climate change as the defining context for every social, economic, and political issue.

The discussion also explores how communities can respond: rebuilding local resilience, strengthening democratic participation, supporting grassroots organizing, and expanding the climate conversation beyond emissions alone. Clare offers a candid call for emotional honesty, collective action, and a more creative, systemic response to an escalating emergency.

Links:

• Support Our Mission

• Extinction Rebellion

• This Is Not a Drill

• Absurd Intelligence

• The Climate Revolution (CEF Video)

• Overton window

• Brexit

• Atlas Network

• Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires

• Adaptation and Mitigation (CEF Video)

• Europe’s Record‑Shattering Heat (CEF Video)

• 2026 United Kingdom wildfires

• Eco Grief (CEF Video)

• Ex-Oil Engineer Turned Climate Whistleblower: We Face COLLAPSE | Aaron Bastani Meets Kevin Anderson

• Inside View: UK Climate Emergency Briefing (CEF Video)

• Telling the Truth So We Can Learn From Mistakes - Reflections Five Years On

• Global Warming in the Pipeline and Earth’s Energy Imbalance (CEF Video)

• The Climate Triad For a Safe and Healthy Climate (CEF Video)

• Plastic Planet - Climate Chaos (CEF Video)

• Enemies of Society: How the Media Portray Climate Activists

• Clare Farrell - Substack

• When the sun disappears : Europe prepares for a temporary drop in solar power

• Potentially historic El Niño takes shape, with far-reaching US and global impacts expected

• Super El Niño Ahead? (CEF Video)

• Florida’s Coastal Corridor Project: Protecting Marine Life and Boosting Economy

Special Guest:

• Clare Farrell - is a climate activist, strategist, writer, and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion. She helped develop the movement’s name, visual identity, and public messaging, and has been a prominent advocate for nonviolent direct action and urgent systemic responses to the climate emergency. Farrell is also co-editor of This Is Not a Drill, an Extinction Rebellion handbook, and works with Absurd Intelligence on the intersections of climate, culture, democracy, and collective action.

Regular Panelists:

• Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute.

• Herb Simmens - Author, Co-founder of the Healthy Planet Action Coalition (HPAC), Climate Emergency Board Member and former college instructor.

Podcast Production:

• Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: crowander.com

Podcast thumbnail background image:

• Title: Extinction Rebellion. Banner “Rebel for life”
• Author: Julia Hawkins
• Source: Source Link
• License: CC BY 2.0