AIRING OF GRIEVANCES

Climate Activists Are Deflating the Tires of SUVs in NYC

They unscrew the valve cap, stick a lentil inside, put it back on—and leave a leaflet on the windshield.

A band of climate activists is prowling the streets of New York City at night, deflating tires on SUVs it believes are destroying the earth. The Guardian tagged along with the Tyre Extinguishers one evening and watched as they targeted large vehicles, unscrewed tire valves, popped in a lentil, and then put the cap back on. As the air seeped out, they left a leaflet on the windshield that read: “Your gas guzzler kills.” A member of the group, which launched in the U.K. and has since expanded to the U.S., asked: “Why do you need an SUV, especially in New York? It’s a vanity thing. You have freedom of choice, sure, but you don’t have freedom from consequences.”