Exercise #4: Documentary Reflection

October 23, 2025 By: Grace Fang

The recent environmental issue I chose was about the ancient deforestation protests in Fairy Creek, British Columbia, Canada. Since 2020, activists, Indigenous land defenders and the public have gathered in the Fairy Creek watershed to try to prevent the Teal-Jones group from logging in the last unprotected pristine temperate rainforest in the area by setting up blockades and nonviolent resistance [1]. The protest, which lasted into 2021 and beyond, became one of the largest civil disobedience environmental actions in Canadian history, with more than 1,000 arrests.

I support lawful, nonviolent civil disobedience as a means of advancing environmental governance and policy accountability, but I oppose actions that endanger human safety or cost destruction. When conventional legal and political approaches are not effective in stopping ecological destruction, peaceful, strategic civil resistance is an important force in arousing public awareness and forcing governments and businesses to rethink their policies. Especially on the issue of intertwining indigenous rights and biodiversity conservation, civil disobedience can highlight the lack of ecological justice in the existing governance system. However, my support is limited to non-violence and behavior that does not endanger the safety of others; If protests turn into violence or property destruction, their moral justification and public support may be compromised.

This documentary, If a Tree Falls, chronicles the extreme path of resistance to the radical environmental action of the Earth Liberation Front from the late 20th century to the early 21st century. The film shows that civil disobedience has successfully pushed the issue of environmental damage into the public eye, forcing society to pay attention to the ecological crisis that was otherwise overlooked. Historically, protests like Clayoquot Sound in the United States have not only changed regional forestry policies but also strengthened public support for sustainable forest management through large-scale nonviolent actions.

In addition to Fairy Creek, another recent case worth analyzing is the Just Stop Oil campaign in the UK. The climate action group has been asking the government to stop new oil and gas permits since 2022 through direct actions such as blocking roads and disrupting public events. 2In March 025, Just Stop Oil announced a suspension of its campaign, claiming that its core demands had been translated into policy: the UK government’s pledge not to issue new oil and gas licenses, blocking the extraction of about 4.4 billion barrels of oil [2].

This result shows the potential effectiveness of civil disobedience in driving policy change. Comprehensive unit documentary and recent cases, I believe that civil disobedience has played a key role in the environmental movement. It provides a voice for ecological protection and justice demands. Although actors often face legal consequences, civil disobedience remains a necessary impetus in today’s increasingly severe environmental crisis.

Reference

[1] “Fairy Creek old-growth logging protests,” Wikipedia, Accessed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Creek_old-growth_logging_protests

[2] Carrington, Damian. “Just Stop Oil Hangs Up the Hi-Vis After Three Years of Climate Action,” The Guardian, March 27, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/27/just-stop-oil-hangs-up-the-hi-vis-after-three-years-of-climate-action

[3] Becker, Martin, and Sarah J. Jackson. “Climate Protests and Public Perception: A Cross-National Analysis,” Nature Communications 15, no. 1 (2024): 46477. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46477-4