The Strategy... But Shorter

XRUK Strategy for 2025-26 - the Short Doc

Click here for a PDF version of the text below.

Evolution to Revolution

In an audacious act of collective imagination, Extinction Rebellion transformed climate activism, reshaping the boundaries of what is possible. Since then the systems resisting change have revealed both their strengths and their fatal flaws more than ever before, and our strategy has grown and evolved, blossoming into something more powerful and focused.

We hold onto the power we felt standing on a bridge, flags waving in the wind, deep in the knowledge that the people around us have our back. We are acting together for a common purpose and belief in a better future.

Vision and Mission

Our vision represents the future ahead, the ultimate destination that guides the journey. Our mission is the strategic steps we must take in the present to bring us closer to that future.

Vision

A society transformed to be compassionate, inclusive, regenerative, equitable and deeply connected, and in which the impacts of the climate and nature crises are mitigated and humanity thrives in harmony with the natural world.

Mission

To spark and sustain a spirit of creative, nonviolent rebellion to disrupt and pressure the perpetrators of climate and ecological injustice and drive systemic change through equal participation in power.

Promise of Rebellion

Extinction Rebellion exists to drive genuine and radical change, and we can settle for nothing less. Since the beginning, our theories of change include all the ingredients to prevent further damage and prepare for already unavoidable change. We are not changing the destination set by our theories of change, we are becoming wiser about how to get there. XRUK remains committed to our original promise, a mass movement to create transformational, systemic change.

Love in Action

Nonviolent direct action is an essential ingredient for change. Bold creative actions, rooted in humour and courage, are core elements of Extinction Rebellion. Where our actions have been their most powerful - and empowering - they have embodied the multiple strands of our theories of change, demonstrating the world we want to see even as we resist the current paradigm, through waves of collective non-cooperation.

As we acknowledge our place within the ecology of movements, we recognise that XRUK is well placed to introduce contention and dilemma actions to a broader range of people. We can practice the skills of resistance everyday.

• Create actions rooted in creativity, humour and defiance
• Use a wider range of tactics, and share these skills
• Target weak spots in the system, and perpetrators of injustice
• Do something naughty every day!

Tell Our Story

We are uncompromising in our voice because we carry a truth based in physics, not politics. XRUK is well placed to forge links between the climate and ecological emergency and interconnected issues in a way that is consistent and authentic. It is vital to reach a wider spectrum of support, and to use our messaging as a vehicle for that. Presenting a coherent image of ourselves to the public is vital if we want our story to be the one that is told.

Community Bases of Power

Thriving communities actively disempower the institutions that are not serving them. This is real power. Building more stronger community connections is taking action, and one of our strongest tools in building community is our actions.

History notices lighting strikes in movements, but the work is continuous. Avoiding burnout for going the distance. Keeping ourselves well enough to continue rebellion.

• Community building is regenerative. Community is the scale at which people experience change and purpose.
• Justice is something that communities create for each other.
• XRUK has many examples of thriving communities to celebrate and learn from.
• Find the things that we love to do together, share and practice them!

Together We Thrive

Diaspora communities already carry the lived experience of the climate and ecological emergency. Stories from family around the world maintain a deep connection to places that mean a lot to their communities. Systematically under- resourced communities are also very aware that “their” government does not even begin to serve them. Taking this opportunity to build two-way connections between our communities will help us all increase our collective resilience, and embed climate justice at the heart of our response.

• Look around you - Who are your neighbours? What are their experiences of the climate crisis? What is already being done in the UK?
• Justice is something that communities create for each other.
• Being a part of authentic and genuine communities is a part of not only achieving cultural momentum but also being a part of real empowerment and change.

Systems of Change

Since 2018 we have cultivated and nurtured the largest self-organising system in the world. The infrastructure that powers our rebellion: our self-organising system (SOS), ways of working, financial systems, fundraising, data collection and mighty arts factory are vital parts of the work we do. This is the everyday work of bringing the world we want into being.

History shows that successful movements have one thing in common: organisational discipline. Our internal structures have improved a lot but in a living system there are always improvements to be made. We will make them, as ever, together.

• Strategic and tactical alignment within XRUK is vital for success.
• Draw on the strengths of our way of organising and explore the solutions it offers for recurring issues.

This is What Democracy Looks Like

It is becoming abundantly clear to everyone that something is terribly wrong with our fractured and heating world. Equal participation in power presents a vital remedy. Our Third Demand, for a Citizens’ Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice is more relevant than ever.

To weave together a just new world, everyone needs to have agency in co-creating it.

• Our Third Demand remains an essential part of the pathway for the movement
• We do not get distracted by moderate changes within our current system, but remain focused on our ultimate destination
• Democracy is something we co-create and is a practice, not just a system.

Another World is Possible Necessary

The path that bridges our present reality to a liveable future is one that we must build together, step by step, within and between our communities. The transformation grows from thousands of small shifts from competition to cooperation, from extraction to regeneration, from isolation to connection.

Each community that rediscovers its collective power illuminates the path forward, guided by the breadth of the promise of our theories of change. This is our invitation. To imagine a positive future, and to join in the vital work of building the bridge that leads there.

This is the Work

This strategy highlights what Extinction Rebellion does best, using our existing skills to create change. As we enter a crucial year, we’ll focus on turning our demands into reality, challenging a system that acknowledges the crisis but fails to act. Holding decision-makers accountable remains key, but with a clearer focus on how to use everything we have learned to break down the barriers for change. 2025 marks a renewal of our commitment to the transformative change our world desperately needs.

Together, rooted in love, we are all we need.