An environmentalist group dedicated to fighting to save the planet now has a local branch on the island.

Philippa Tomlinson, who was arrested for lying in the road in London’s Parliament Square during the blockade by Extinction Rebellion (XR) has set up Extinction Rebellion Isle of Man.

Dr Tomlinson established the Manx XR group in the past few weeks and already has a sizeable following on social media and with people attending its meetings.

She said: ’There is nothing more important now than all of us working together to reduce the terrible effects of climate change that are happening around the world.’

Dr Tomlinson added: ’We are heading, now very rapidly, towards a global extinction of species including the human species.

’We have plenty of accurate scientific data for this.

’Everyone who looks at the global news cannot fail to see that people are starving because of crop failures: they are being flooded out of their homes, their water supplies are drying up, and forests are burning.

’Huge numbers of people will be displaced by these events and I do not want to see people dying in their millions around the world because we cannot stop the negative results of economic growth that continues despite the fact governments have declared an ecological and climate emergency.’

Dr Tomlinson praised the work of the Climate Change Coalition and also the Manx government for declaring a climate emergency and establishing a Climate Emergency Team with an independent chairman, Professor James Curran.

She added: ’However, there are three important points to make here. First, government needs to tell us the truth about the consequences of our lifestyles.

’Secondly, we need to make sure that the government carries out the changes that are needed to help bring down greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce the rate of species’ extinctions around the globe. We all need to work on this together. No individual is to blame but we have all played a part.

’Thirdly, and crucially, we need to develop public awareness about how society needs to change. Radical changes need to take place in society to prevent this disaster developing.’

Dr Tomlinson believes that despite the island’s small size, we need to do our bit and set an example.

’In the western world, we, as a culture are the consumers. We have done the most damage and need to change our socioeconomic systems,’ she said.

’In the global north we need to take on our responsibilities and set an example to other countries. We will not succeed to prevent mass global extinction unless we all work together, individuals, organisations, businesses and governments all around the world.’

She said the Manx government is ’listening to the people’ and urged environmentalists to ’keep up the pressure’.

She said: ’We aim to do as much as we can to explain the situation to local people, raise awareness and understanding.

’Government will need everyone’s support when the difficult decisions are made.’

Describing XR as driving a ’regenerative culture’, Dr Tomlinson said: ’We are a newly formed group and there is much to do to develop our strategy. We need to grow in numbers with people from the full spectrum of society, to work together with love and respect and to do training and learn to support each other.’