Swedish Indians have taken to the streets! Bet you never thought you’d read that headline… At any rate, a Swedish group, going by the moniker The Indians of the Concrete Jungle, are fed up with the prevalence of SUVs in Sweden and have taken matters into their own hands. “Indians” have deflated the tires of over 1,000 SUVs and left calling cards explaining their action behind (pasted below).

The actions come in response to the group’s frustration with their countrymen. Their website claims that new cars on Swedish roads emit 20% more that the European average, and that the country is far more polluting than it needs to be. Their simple solution begins with either a piece of gravel or a bean, which is inserted into the air valves of the offending SUV’s tires before the covering cap is replaced. 10 seconds of activity and the tires will hiss themselves flat.

Though there has been animosity directed at the group, including an SUV-happy reactionary “Cowboys of the Concrete Jungle” who threatened to “deflate the Indians’ necks,” the Indians claim success simply by bringing national attention to global warming and carbon emissions.

The Indians of the Concrete Jungle are determined to continue their campaign of disarmament. If it is done repeatedly and on a massive scale, deflating tires will develop from a slight annoyance in the eyes of the owners into a real obstacle for driving SUVs. Imagine waking up to a car without air in the tires every morning, or even once a week!

When the glaciers melt, people’s source of water disappear. When the deserts spread, agricultural fields become uncultivable. When the sea level rises, homes are inundated. Result: billions of refugees, countless deaths. It’s already estimated that 160 000 people die every year due to the effects of climate change, according to the WHO.

As an affluent Swede you will survive longer then most. Those most vulnerable, and already worst afflicted by the global warming caused by Northern affluence, are the people of poor countries. In the end, however, climate chaos will affect us all, poor people as well as rich.

This does not have to happen if we impose a radical cut on carbon emissions. Now. Not tomorrow. That’s why we have disarmed your SUV by deflating the tires. Since you live in a city with a functioning and accessible public transportation system you will have no problem going where you want without your SUV.

Letter to SUV owners from The Indians of the Concrete Jungle:

Your SUV kills!
We have deflated one or several tyres of your SUV. Don’t take it personal. It’s your car we don’t like. You are certainly aware of the large amount of fuel it consumes, so we don’t have to enlighten you about that. But either you are ignorant of, or you don’t care about the fact that all the gas you consume by driving around in your SUV in the streets of the city has devastating consequences for others. Scientists are entirely sure that we are very close to pushing climate change over a threshold, into a phase where it will be totally out of control.

There are real, social contradictions in the field of climate change between those who emit carbon relentlessly and those who suffer the heaviest losses, and bringing these to light is crucial for any progress. Not everyone will fight climate change. Not everyone will give up their lethal privileges voluntarily.
-- The Indians of the Concrete Jungle

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