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Radical climate activists pushing to ‘inconvenience SUV owners’ by deflating 4x4 tyres in major cities

Dodge Rams, Ford Raptors, Silverados – they’re everywhere in Australia’s cities. One group has taken it upon itself to fight fire with fire.

Alex BlairAlex Blair
@alexblair_1
4 min read
May 30, 2023 - 4:34PM
A radical movement purporting to save the world from climate change has declared war on SUV owners, encouraging the public to actively sabotage cars in the street.
A radical movement purporting to save the world from climate change has declared war on SUV owners, encouraging the public to actively sabotage cars in the street.

A radical movement purporting to save the world from climate change has declared war on SUV owners, encouraging the public to actively sabotage cars in the street.

The Tyre Extinguishers is a guarded organisation that has built a global following in recent months, attracting what some have described as “extremist” activists who want to rid the roads of these “massive and unnecessary” vehicles.

The group’s manifesto says activists should “inconvenience and expense SUV owners” by deflating their tyres wherever possible.

“SUVs are bigger and heavier than other cars, they are more polluting and use more fuel,” the group’s website reads.

“This makes them a disaster for our climate. International Energy Agency researchers were shocked in 2019 to find that SUVs are the second-largest cause of the global rise in carbon dioxide emissions over the past decade – more than shipping, aviation, heavy industry and even trucks.”

Tyre Extinguishers has even released a pamphlet and stickers instructing budding saboteurs how to deflate a tyre.

The group regularly posts images of self-proclaimed vigilantes at work, deflating tyres under cover of darkness.

“Our aim is to make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4x4 in the world’s urban areas,” the leaflet reads. “To do that, we need people everywhere deflating 4x4 tyres, week-in, week-out.”

The group stresses that people should “work under the cover of darkness” to avoid getting caught.

The group first appeared in the UK in March 2022, and has since spread to other countries, including Australia, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the US.

Its actions have been met with mixed reactions. Some people have praised the group for its creativity and its commitment to taking action on climate change. Others have criticised the group for its vandalism and for putting people’s safety at risk.

The Tyre Extinguishers have defended their actions, saying that they are necessary to raise awareness of the climate crisis and to put pressure on governments to take action.

It has also said that the group is committed to non-violence and will only target SUVs that are parked in public places.

When approached by news.com.au, Tyre Extinguishers claimed there were “no legal issues” the group has been faced with, and said Australia was its “next big target”.

“It’s very hard to get caught doing this, unless SUV owners are going to stay up all night, every night defending their vehicle in the off chance we appear,” a spokesperson said under condition of anonymity.

“If someone is caught, there’s a debate about whether what we are doing is even illegal. In the UK, police forces are divided about whether it‘s a crime to let the air out of a tyre or not. It may not even meet the threshold for criminal damage.”

The group says it wants to become a “giant obstacle” for those driving “massive killer vehicles around our streets”.

“We’re taking this action because governments and politicians have failed to protect us from these huge vehicles,” the spokesperson continued. “Everyone hates them, apart from the people who drive them.”

The group then cited one article from the UK Telegraph as proof its actions had made a dent in sales of SUVs.

Tyre Extinguishers is a controversial group, but has undoubtedly succeeded in getting people talking about the climate crisis.
Tyre Extinguishers is a controversial group, but has undoubtedly succeeded in getting people talking about the climate crisis.

It comes as no surprise the movement has attracted heavy backlash from truck-loving drivers on the internet. One particularly bizarre video showing a man pretending to be a hitman to hunt down and shoot climate activists surfaced in recent weeks, much to the amusement of the organisation’s followers.

However, it appears the sentiment against city drivers owning large trucks is growing.

Locals have accused the towering vehicles of causing havoc by taking up multiple parking spaces per vehicle.

Sales of American “pick-up trucks” have been booming Down Under in recent years, with figures proving the US vehicles – like the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet’s Silverado – are exploding in popularity.

RAM Trucks revealed in October 2022 that 604 units had been sold in September 2022 – marking a 45 per cent year-on-year surge. A total of 17,115 RAMs have been sold to Australian customers since production began.

The boom has seen other car giants sit up and take notice, with one of America’s best-selling vehicles – the Ford F-150 pick-up – on its way to Australian shores this year, followed by the expected arrival of the Toyota Tundra in late 2023 or early 2024.

Like the popular RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado, the F-150 will also be imported as a left-hand-drive model, and then converted to right-hand-drive locally, with that relatively new conversion capability emerging as one of the major forces driving the surge.

But while more local motorists are embracing the trend than ever before, others are hitting back.

Reddit has been flooded with complaints about the trend recently, with many sharing photos of obnoxiously parked utes.

In one recent example, a pick-up was photographed taking up four spaces at a carpark, with the person who snapped the photo slamming the “stupid American trucks”.

“Not a tradie vehicle. Probs an upper manager of some building group who has never touched a tool other than his own,” one Aussie wrote online.

“Guy near me has one. I can sure tell you he’s not a tradie. These things seem to be the domain of construction site managers and insecure white collar workers,” another one wrote, with another adding: “And Boomers towing a 200k caravan.”

“I’ll be honest, 99 per cent of tradies I work with f***ing hate these things. It’s usually some 60-year-old grey nomad that thinks his 900kg Jayco popup needs a vehicle that barely fits in an Australian lane to pull it,” another said.

So if you’re thinking of picking up one of these “emotional support vehicles”, keep an eye on your tyres.

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Originally published as Radical climate activists pushing to ‘inconvenience SUV owners’ by deflating 4x4 tyres in major cities

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/motoring/on-the-road/radical-climate-activists-pushing-to-inconvenience-suv-owners-by-deflating-4x4-tyres-in-major-cities/news-story/e35346a24a6b6254e9420949c61a52cd