Climate activists empty SUV tires in England

A study shows that three-quarters of 360,000 SUVs were sold in 2019 in the UK (Credit: Handout/Land Rover)

In protest of the pollution, climate activists have unloaded SUVs in some of the wealthiest neighborhoods of London, England. The goal was to question the gas emissions of these vehicles, considered one of the most polluting.

According to the Guardian, about 40 residents of Kensington, Chelsea, Dulwich, Primrose Hill and Marylebone owners have woken up to find their tires empty, with false “parking fines”.

Tickets stated that “If SUV drivers are a nation, in 2018 they were ranked the seventh largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world.” The cars are often called “Chelsea tractors”.

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A study shows that three-quarters of the 360,000 SUVs sold in the UK in 2019 were bought by people living in towns and cities, when the vehicles were better suited to challenging terrain such as the countryside.

The leading brand in neighborhoods affected by the protest is Land Rover. Cars in Kensington and Chelsea sold better than anywhere else in the country, with one in 10 new cars registered in the neighborhood belonging to the SUV brand.

The Dulwich Society, a community that represents the interests of local residents in the leafy suburb of Dulwich, condemned the action. A spokesman for The Guardian said: “Several cars were vandalized with flat tires.”

However, activists said the tires were lowered without damage, and that the measure was necessary to educate vehicle owners about the fossil fuels emitted by large cars.