When is a horsedrawn cart a symbol of modernity?  When is it used by the environmental action group Climate Rush in their drive to galvanise the British public in support of climate change politics.

During September, the same innovative and daring activist group that shut down Heathrow Terminal 1 with an Edwardian tea party and a string quartet will be taking to the roads of South West England to entertain, educate and stimulate the public.  The said horses and carts will be equipped with solar panels and wind turbines and accompanied by Climate Suffragettes in period dress walking, riding and bicycling besides the carts.

The group intends to engage the public on vital environmental issues during the countdown to the Copenhagen climate talks in December. Climate Rush has focused its campaign on the inadequacies of current UK climate policy.

It is unfortunately the case that politicians are highly unlikely to take the action that is needed unless they feel that the British public will support it at the ballot box, and therefore action at the grassroots is important. We all need to take action, whether through forming local groups, talking to friends about the issues or lobbying our MPs to show that we take the issues seriously.

Activism has suffered from a poor image, but Climate Rush aim to make activism fun and imaginative, to reflect a need to get more young people involved and to capture the imagination of the public. Their rapid growth indicates that they have struck a chord with many, and indeed non-violent direct action has an honourable history. History teaches that mass movements have enormous power to trigger change, even in the face of resistance from the elite. Climate Rush deliberately model themselves on the Suffragettes in their campaign for women’s rights, and there are also echoes of similar campaigns, such as Gandhi’s non-violent fight to end the British Raj in India.

One of the problems that environmentalists face that the Suffragettes and Gandhi’s followers did not was engaging with a public that is bombarded with different opportunities and distractions. Therefore it is all the more important that activism is perceived as fun and relevant. It should also help to counteract the sense of powerlessness that psychologists cite as a major impediment to public action.

If you would like more information about Climate Rush’s roadshow in September, or just how you can get involved, please visit the website www.climaterush.co.uk.