Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists gathered in Hyde Park yesterday evening to mark a "pause" in their fortnight-long protest, promising to now reach out to local communities to raise awareness of the urgent need for climate action ahead of further protests in the coming months.

Reports also suggested members of the group could meet with government ministers, including Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry, in the coming days to discuss their demands.

Perry previously met with XR activists at the UN climate summit in Poland last year, but Ministers had resisted calls to meet with the group while its campaign of civil disobedience was bringing parts of London to a standstill. Prime Minister Theresa May also failed to respond a letter from the group requesting a meeting to discuss the group's three demands calling on the government to declare a 'climate emergency', set a net zero target for 2025, and establish a Citizen's Assembly to discuss climate policies.  

However, BusinessGreen understands 'talks about talks' are underway raising the prospect Gove and Perry could meet leading activists, potentially as early as next week. Government sources highlighted that Gove has said he would be happy to talk with the group and indicated discussions were underway.

The closing ceremony for the group's main protest site in Marble Arch followed a final day of action with activists targeting the City of London in a bid to warn that 'business as usual = death'. Campaigners climbed onto the roof of a DLR train in Canary Wharf, glued themselves to the entrance of the London Stock Exchange, disrupted traffic across the Square Mile, and glued themselves to the entrance to the Treasury.

The protests once again remained peaceful, but pushed the arrest count for the fortnight of action to over 1,100.

In a statement XR said it was targeting the Treasury it continues to provide over £10bn of taxpayers money to support fossil fuels. "Despite the government's pledges in the 2019 Spring Statement regarding 'clean growth', the UK still has the largest fossil fuel subsidies in the EU," it said.

The government has consistently argued that it does not directly subsidise fossil fuels, but critics maintain that when tax breaks and other forms of financial assistance are taken into account the government provides significant and unsustainable levels of support for carbon intensive businesses.

"Extinction Rebellion demands that HM Treasury tells the truth about their role in funding climate catastrophe with taxpayers' money, and further, transfers all public spending on fossil fuel subsidies to support a just transition that aids the rapid decarbonisation of our country's economy," the group said. "Fossil fuels enabled the UK to open the industrial revolution. Extinction Rebellion are asking the Government to enable our country to show true leadership in light of the disaster they have caused, to recognise the urgent need for restoration of our ecosystems and to make our planet liveable for not only future generations, but also this generation."

Andrew Medhurst, a member of Extinction Rebellion who was described as having worked for many of the largest companies in the UK financial sector said that "all businesses have to pick which side of history they want to be on: do they facilitate the end of all we hold dear in the natural world, possibly even ourselves, or help to accelerate the transition to carbon-zero economies by rejecting further support for fossil fuel companies?"

XR's campaign has secured cautious support from a number of business leaders, who have questioned the disruptive tactics but have welcomed the catalysing impact the group has had on the debate surrounding climate action.

A group of green business leaders backed the launch of an arm of the campaign - dubbed XR Business - that has pledged to hold a dialogue with businesses on how to drive a rapid net zero transition.

Meanwhile, leading employers' group CBI this week praised XR for asking "absolutely the right questions".

"From school strikes to Extinction Rebellion, the protests have raised absolutely the right questions - ones which business is committed to answering," said James Diggle, CBI head of energy and climate change. "From offshore wind to electric vehicle batteries, businesses are leading the move away from fossil fuels by delivering the technology needed to cut carbon emissions. We warmly welcome initiatives which constructively bring together business, experts and those pushing the need for change."