Climate change activists target ‘gas guzzlers’ in Birmingham - Oakland Press

Climate change activists target ‘gas guzzlers’ in Birmingham - The Oakland Press

“It’s not you, it’s your car.”

That was the message to eight vehicle owners parked in Birmingham city structures on Friday, July 7, who found at least one of their tires deflated.

A climate change group called Tyre Extinguishers left fliers that said the vehicles had been targeted because SUVs and 4X4s are a “disaster” for the environment.

“We did this because driving around urban areas in a massive vehicle has huge consequences for others,” the group said in the flier.

The flier said SUVs are the second leading cause of a global rise in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade.

The flier said “millions of people are dying from climate change-related causes – drought, hurricanes, floods, forced migration and starvation.”

“We’re taking actions into our own hands because our governments and politicians will not,” the flier said.

The flier said if SUV owners don’t care about global impacts of their vehicle choice, they should still be concerned that SUVs create more air pollution than smaller cars.

“Owning SUVs is unnecessary, and pure vanity,” the flier said, alleging that psychological studies have shown SUV drivers are more likely to take risks.

Even electric or hybrid SUVs are “polluting, dangerous and cause congestion,” the flier said.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Grewe said tampering with a vehicle is a crime and the department is investigating. Surveillance cameras in the parking garages are posted only at the entries and exits and did not capture anyone deflating the tires, he said.

The tires were deflated but had not been slashed, Grewe said.

He said the group posted on its website, www.tyreextinguishers.com, that it had made its first entry into Michigan.

Grewe was unaware of any nearby city that had similar incidents.