Climate activists deflate tires of more than 40 SUVs in New York City and say more will be next

A group of climate activists hoping to reduce to the number of SUV's in urban cities deflated the tires of dozens of them in NYC this week.

The Tyre Extinguishers are a group of climates activists who have started campaigns in cities like London, Vienna, Glasgow, and more to reduce the number of carbon emissions in cities where public transportation is readily available.

The campaign consists of people going around, spotting SUVs, then removing the air cap to deflate the tire making them unusable. Deflaters also leave a pamphlet describing the negative consequences of their cars' emissions on the driver's windshield.

"We’re taking this action because governments and politicians have failed to protect us from these huge vehicles," the Tyre Extinguishers website reads. "Everyone hates them, apart from the people who drive them."

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On Tuesday morning, The Tyre Extinguishers tweeted they had struck the Upper East Side neighborhood of New York City for the first time. Indicating a surge of tire deflaters may become more common.

"40 SUVs disarmed in the Upper East Side, the first of many," the tweet read with an attached photo of a person removing the air cap of the tire.

In the past year, climate activists have ramped-up their means of seeking attention to fight for a cleaner planet. One man set himself on fire outside of the Supreme Court and scientists in Los Angeles handcuffed themselves to the doors of JP Morgan Chase.

Recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) paint a bleak picture for the future of Earth should governments fail to take action to reduce carbon emissions.

With issues like wildfires, droughts, and severe weather occurring more often every year, climate change is becoming an increasingly important issue. However, passing legislation to control companies' impact on the environment is difficult.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not allowed to regulate the number of carbon emissions from existing power plants. The ruling reduces the EPA's ability to implement climate policies, worrying activists.

But the scaled-back ruling has not stopped other activists, like the Tyre Extinguishers, from proving their point.

The organization expects there to be more strikes in New York City.

"The Tyre Extinguishers want to see bans on SUVs in urban areas, pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence, and massive investment in free, comprehensive public transport. But until politicians make this a reality, Tyre Extinguishers action will continue," they said in a statement.

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