Flash Mob Captures Spotlight at Rio+20

Over 100 demonstrators calling for an end to fossil fuel subsidies joined a "flash mob" in the heart of the Rio+20 conference this afternoon. The demonstration was spearheaded by Earth Day Network in partnership with the Human Impacts Institute, 350.org, and several youth groups attending the conference.

The demonstration took place in Riocentro, the convention center where the conference is being held, begining around 1:30 p.m. BRT, the middle of the lunch hour for negotiators. A single demonstrator stood up in the crowd, donning an “End Fossil Fuel Subsidies” shirt and sign, and began to chant, “The future I want? No fossil fuel subsidies!” One by one, over 100 people stood up in the crowd, revealed their own shirts and signs, and joined in the chant. The demonstrators then observed 20 seconds of silence before dispersing.

It comes as tens of thousands of people are participating in a "Twitterstorm" today to flood the internet with a call to #endfossilfuelsubsidies – currently the number one trending topic on Twitter in the U.S., number two in the world.

You can read the press release here. More pictures and footage from the flashmob are coming soon.

Photos courtesy of Joni Karajalainen and Kyle Gracey / SustainUS.