Movement building

Every once in while I read something that expresses ideas that I’ve been thinking and writing about, but does so more powerfully and beautifully than I’ve yet been able to. Sometimes I just want to shout, “Yes!” right out loud. I often find it deeply reassuring that someone else is putting forth important ideas so boldly and effectively.

Today I want to share with you excerpts from an article by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor. Naomi Klein has written numerous important books, including This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate (2014), a book that had a tremendous influence on my thinking about the climate crisis. I don’t remember hearing of Astra Taylor before, but it turns out that she wrote a book with the compelling title of Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone (2019).

In a recent article they write,

“Our opponents know full well that we are entering an age of emergency, but have responded by embracing lethal yet self-serving delusions. Having bought into various apartheid fantasies of bunkered safety, they are choosing to let the Earth burn.”

There is a coup underway in our country. We are in danger of losing our democracy. This is not the traditional coup of armed rebel militants taking over the executive and legislative buildings and the radio stations. This is a coup where a corrupt elected President has put often incompetent and morally compromised billionaires in charge; has, often illegally, dismissed inspectors general, the experienced leadership of the FBI, attorneys at the Justice Department, key figures in many departments, and countless government workers–experienced and dedicated public servants; and made it impossible for many important agencies to serve the public effectively.

The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, endorsed by Donald Trump, has taken over the government’s payment system and immense amounts of data about all of us. He has inserted staff and caused turmoil throughout the government. He shuttered the USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This is a bureau that has obtained more than $21 billion in relief for wronged consumers. All of the 11 agencies already investigating complaints against Musk’s private businesses have been derailed.

This past weekend I went to Washington, DC to be part of the People’s March. Although advance publicity and outreach was limited, thousands of people showed up to demonstrate their resistance to the Trump/MAGA agenda and their solidarity with each other.

There was a remarkable sense of unity, even as people carried signs about many different issues. Immigrant justice, climate justice, women’s rights, Palestinian liberation, racial justice, LGBQT+ rights, opposition to oligarchy, democracy, and other issues, all had vocal, visible advocates. There were marchers of all ages.

While we were there to indicate our resistance to the cruel, selfish, climate-damaging plans of the incoming administration, what we are in favor of seemed more prominent than what we oppose. Those who spoke, and many of the signs that people carried, called for justice, for human rights, for a society where everyone is included, respected, and has their basic needs met; and where the wealth of the society is shared more equally among all its members.

I believe that this is an agenda that over time can attract a sizable majority ….

There’s a lot of good news about the growth of electricity generation by solar panels and wind turbines around the world, the increase in electrifying heating and cooling of buildings, and the increased adoption of electric vehicles. Millions of people are working hard to solve the climate crisis and enable humanity to transition to a carbon-free energy systems and sustainable economies.

Yet global warming continues to increase and the predictions about the climate disasters we can expect in the future are dire. Why are the projections still so bleak when we’ve made and are making so much progress?

There is one clear answer: the fossil fuel industry. The fossil fuel industry has ….

This past Sunday I participated in the “March to End Fossil Fuels” in New York City. What an exhilarating experience! Thousands of people jammed the streets of New York to demand an end to fossil fuels. People of different races and ages came together to show how much they care about what climate change is doing to our world and its inhabitants. There was chanting, singing, drumming and dancing. Voices were united in “What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!”

It’s estimated that over 75,000 people marched in New York. New York’s grassroots organizations and people from frontline communities headed up the march. Black, Indigenous, Latinex, Asian and Pacific Islander groups led the procession, followed by youth, elders, workers, people of faith, and people of all backgrounds. According to Oil Change International, this was only one of more than 700 end-fossil-fuel actions in 65 countries, with more than 600,000 people participating just in the past week.