Nearly a dozen eco-zealots occupied the central foyer of the Westminster building. The group sat in the room in the heart of Westminster Palace and unveiled a sign reading “G7 pays your climate debt”.
Extinction Rebellion has risen in profile over the past five years after holding a series of extremely disruptive protests.
The group caused transport chaos in London in 2019 after activists glued themselves to tube trains and made a scene in Trafalgar Square last year when they covered the iconic London landmark with red paint.
Extinction Rebellions today protested the G7 – whose leaders are currently meeting in Germany – for not taking climate change seriously.
Leaders from Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa were also invited to attend the summit.
READ MORE: Extinction Rebellion protesters block entrance at Farnborough airport
G7 countries, in a battle with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, have been looking for ways to stop energy shortages and tackle rising prices while adhering to their climate commitments.
The three-day summit, which concludes Tuesday with a final communication, discussed ways to reduce coal use and increase renewable energy in a way that is “socially just,” the leaders’ statement said.
The leaders “agreed to work together to accelerate a clean and fair transition to climate neutrality, while ensuring energy security”, the statement said.
Environmental activists have forced Western powers to stay focused on climate change goals despite the war, as some European Union countries have returned to dirtier coal to meet their energy demand following a drop in gas flows from Russia.
Japan has also insisted on removing a target for zero-emission vehicles from a G7 communication expected this week, according to a proposed draft seen by Reuters.
By attacking the G7 because they did not take enough action, Extinction Rebellion claimed the leaders at the summit left poorer countries with no choice but to withdraw fossil fuels to pay off their international debt.
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The group further added that these countries are most likely to be affected by the effects of climate change.
In a statement on social media, the group said: “The people with the most at stake in the G7’s decisions are being denied a seat at the table.
“People of the Global South are suffocating under escalating crises of climate and debt, and we are here in solidarity to bring their message to the heart of British power.
“We demand that the G7 remove the knee from the neck of the Global South by canceling all debt.
“Countries of the global South have no choice but to exploit fossil fuels for export to pay off their crippling debt.
“And every penny spent on debt can not be spent on renewable energy.”
As well as Extinction Rebellion, the Fridays For Future youth movement, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, criticized the G7.
“The G7 summit so far is a fossil fuel frenzy, and they drink champagne for it every night, taking beautiful photos, family photos, a family of fossil fuel addict leaders,” 20-year-old Fridays For Future activist Dominika Lasota said.