Militant anti-fossil fuel activist group Climate Challenge protested Thursday at the Department of Energy's Washington, D.C., headquarters, claiming it had “closed” access.
“Breaking news: We closed the entrance to the DOE. 100 police swarmed. Revolution in the air. Update coming soon,” the group said in a post on X.
Club for Growth senior analyst Andrew Follett, a former U.S. Department of Energy contractor, said the group effectively blocked an unused entrance to a parking lot.
“That's the entrance to a gated parking lot, you idiot! The entrance is on the other side!” Follett said in a comment on Climate Rebel's post.
It's unclear whether the protests “shut down” the agency, as the group claimed. The Department of Energy is one of the least utilized federal headquarters in Washington, D.C.
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/protest-against-fossil-fuel-use-climate-defiance-blocks-unused-entrance-doe
When the dust settles, some shows are destined to be relegated to the “you can't make this stuff up” department. Case in point: Climate Challenge, a climate activist group that recently made headlines for “closing down” the Department of Energy. Or so they claim. In fact, they staged a protest that blocked the entrance to an unused parking lot as effectively as sealing a turnstile with sticky notes. They flooded social media with triumphalism: “The revolution is in the air!” they declared, while senior DOE officials apparently remained blissfully unaware of this earth-shattering inconvenience.
Blocking Ghost Entrances: Bold Strategies, Guys
The U.S. Department of Energy’s self-proclaimed “shutdown” ultimately proved to be a laughably ineffective move. Andrew Follett, a senior analyst at the Club for Growth and a former U.S. Department of Energy contractor, summed it up best: “That’s the entrance to a gated parking lot, you moron!” The idea of the group’s climate guerrilla war It's the equivalent of cutting off a phantom limb. But hey, when your main goal is focus, success isn’t measured by CO2 emissions saved, but by retweets.
Big-Funded Virtue Signalers
The antics of climate resistance groups may seem like grassroots folly, but their funding paints a different picture. The organization is backed by the Climate Emergency Fund, a $6 million war chest funded by Hollywood elites including Adam McKay and Abigail Disney. These champagne environmentalists funneled millions of dollars from their air-conditioned mansions to fund protests without inconveniencing anyone except a few confused Washington commuters. McKay's $4 million donation alone was enough to buy enough private jet fuel to make Al Gore blush.
Speaking of muddled priorities, the team also dabbled in Gaza activism, because nothing says “climate justice” like conflating environmental issues with geopolitical flashpoints. It's as if the organization spins a wheel labeled “reason for hijacking” and then proceeds with whatever comes up.
Civil disobedience meets champagne socialism
Resident Hollywood activist Jane Fonda attended a climate revolt event urging attendees to engage in civil disobedience. It's unclear whether Fonda stayed long enough to suffer the consequences of such behavior, or whether she immediately returned to the five-star accommodation. Anyone who remembers Fonda's past adventures in Vietnam, or her recent knack for combining activism with high-profile PR, will forget this hypocrisy.
The Real Victim: Reason and Public Discourse
The unique absurdity of the climate resistance movement is not only that their tactics are misguided, but also their complete lack of self-awareness. They were like modern-day Rosa Parks, blocking entrances that no one was using. When “dozens” of their members were arrested, they called out injustice and said calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels was “criminal”. At the same time, their arrests are as important as their protests. After all, no movement is more cosseted by a sympathetic media and deep-pocketed donors.
Let’s not forget the irony that these activists rely on modern transportation and digital platforms (both of which rely heavily on fossil fuels) to organize their protests. Maybe their next act of civil disobedience will include chaining themselves to an Exxon Mobil gas station while tweeting demands from their iPhones.
Final Thoughts: Drifting Movement
Climate Rebellion’s fiasco is not only an indictment of the group’s tactics but also a microcosm of the broader movement’s intellectual bankruptcy. Their actions promote privilege and superficiality rather than substance. Blocking an unused garage in Washington, D.C., was less about “saving the planet” and more about affirming the sport's image as a playground for Ivy League amateurs who conflate labeling with hard work.
So here's some proactive advice for the climate challenge: If you want to be taken seriously, try doing something that really matters. Until then, enjoy your time in the police car—it may be the closest you get to making an impact.
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