Singing Christmas carols with new lyrics reflecting the climate emergency we find ourselves in has become an Extinction Rebellion Boston annual event. XR, as it is also called, is an international grassroots organization formed in 2018 that aims to raise awareness of the rapid warming of our planet and promote a sustainable future. Supporting East Boston residents, who live right next to the airport and all the resulting environmental degradation, we gathered at the Airport MBTA station. Sixteen of us, old friends and new, began by practicing some of the carols right there, especially the ones in Spanish, before hopping on the Shuttle and heading to our first stop, the car rental terminal. Very visible as a group, with a few Santa hats, lots of red and green, and a few XR flags, we sang a few carols at each stop. People were curious. They recognized the melodies, but soon realized the lyrics were different.
For example, to the tune of “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”:
“Well, the weather outside’s delightful. And we know that means something frightful. December temps should be low, Where’s the snow, where’s the snow, where’s the snow?”
And rather than “Feliz Navidad”:
“Infeliz Navidad Triste Navidad, Crisis Navidad, Hay pocos años para evitar. (x2) We wanna prevent the climate crisis (x3) From the bottom of our hearts.”
And my favorite, “Hark the XR Rebels Sing” – the last verse goes:
“Hail the carbon-breathing tree! Hail the green economy! Science gave us all the tools, to move off of fossil fuels. System change must be our mission. We will make a just transition. Every person can take part. Our rebellion’s at its start. Hark! The XR rebels sing, climate change is happening! Hark! The XR rebels sing, yonder comes an uprising!”
As people leaned in to catch the new words, we got smiles and thumbs up and some applause. It was great fun. Participating in activities like the carol-singing is a good way to reach out to people and encourage them to think seriously about what we need to do to slow down global warming and avert climate catastrophe. According to the research, major social change occurs when just 3.5% of the population gets actively involved, or “on board.” This was the key to success for the abolitionist Sojourner Truth, the suffrage campaigner Susan B Anthony, the Indian independence activist Mahatma Gandhi and the US civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King. (“Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict,” Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, 2011.)
Extinction Rebellion and other activist groups such as 350Mass, Third Act, the Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front, No Coal No Gas, Elders for Climate Action and SPJE – Stop Private Jet Expansion, were instrumental in getting the recent Massachusetts Climate Bill passed and signed into law by Governor Maura Healey this November. The legislation “will accelerate clean energy development, improve energy affordability, create an equitable infrastructure siting process, allow for multistate clean energy procurements, promote non-gas heating, expand access to electric vehicles and create jobs and support workers throughout the energy transition.”
Submitted by Jenny Allen