Why I applaud and support many climate efforts that I don’t actually believe will work.
My preferred tactic to save our children and biosphere from climate collapse is building a gigantic movement of currently fearful, disaffected and (supposedly) powerless people, and inspiring them to engage in civil disobedience. I want them to demand a true climate-scientist led worldwide emergency program to do whatever science (and Nature Herself) requires for us to minimize the deadly effects of our abuse of the Earth.
I favor this because I believe it is right and necessary. But I also believe that I could be wrong, or that other kinds of efforts could work. That’s why, although I’m passionate about my approach, I am also a supporter of alternative approaches.
I want something to work. I want to prevent our slide into doom. I’m not a doomsayer. I believe we can (okay, possibly can) prevent the worst with quick and decisive action. But I have no ego about this. It doesn’t have to be my way. It has to be any way that gets the job done.
The Sunrise Movement
The Sunrise Movement still believes that the system can work and that we should lobby our government to pass legislation to address the climate crisis. This is a movement founded and run by young people — children, really. That’s part of the group’s charm. But they are also doggedly determined and they actually reach politicians who look really stupid talking down to them.
Expect to see much more of this as people starve, burn and drown. There will be many more adults explaining to children that we adults are wise and they will understand when they grow up. Except, of course, what the adults are doing (and failing to do) will ensure that the children do not ever grow up.
The adults are kind of right. The children don’t understand the utter cluelessness of adults. But although the young people of The Sunrise Movement are naive (because they still have faith in the system), I have nothing but admiration and respect for them.
Not so much for Senator Feinstein or any member of the government who takes money from corporate lobbyists. Which is to say, all but two or three of them. And the three who don’t take corporate money and still work in government are also naive but charming.
Th!rd Act
On the opposite end of the age spectrum, this group of activists believe that since they are not quite dead, they should protest on behalf of the young. I particularly love their use of old technology. For example, they have a campaign to fax bank CEOs, urging them NOT to finance fossil fuels. As a member of the over 60 set, perhaps I should join them. But I haven’t had a fax machine in decades.
Still, I admire their spirit and energy.
Just Stop Oil
This group, that has never damaged a painting but is lambasted daily for having done so, are great practitioners of street theatre. Not the best (that would be The Yes Men), but quite good. People who play by the rules and continue to respect the authorities that promote oil (while claiming to care about the climate) spend an inordinate amount of energy attacking Just Stop Oil.
Allegedly, JSO is harming the cause and are guilty of using an ineffective and counter-productive tactic. In reality, if JSO never existed we’d have exactly the same situation. If anything, JSO is nearly as ineffective as their critics.
For their sincerity and for actually taking personal risks to try something, I can’t help but love them. Yeah, their tactics don’t work and they annoy some people. But, really, if we’re that worried about annoying people, we should just give up right now.
I’m waiting for this group to throw soup at the glass protecting artwork at the Andy Warhol Museum. I’m not sure which I love more: Warhol or JSO. Or soup.
Andreas Malm
Malm has the audacity to assert that people should be willing to damage inanimate object s— actual property! — to protect the climate and the survival of our species.
How could anyone promote damaging property? That’s terrorism!
Or so I hear endlessly from people who would have refused to bomb the train tracks leading to Auschwitz because, well, that would have been terrorism.
Frankly, I think Malm is a moderate, and destroying pipelines and refineries would be fair game. Furthermore, nobody is even doing these things — except whoever took out the Nord Stream pipeline which must have been a government and we all know that if a government does something, it isn’t terrorism. Unless it’s an enemy government.
I wouldn’t do what Malm proposes, but I wouldn’t be unhappy to see someone do it, either.
Ray Katz
I must say, he hasn’t been very effective yet, but I agree with this guy completely. Oh, wait. That’s me!
My utterly mad view is that, for the most part, parents love their children and at least a billion of them worldwide care enough to do something to protect them from fossil fuel doom. They don’t because they don’t know what to do.
They tried voting and protesting and writing letters and signing petitions, but nothing works. They are at wit’s end.
Katz thinks that if we could make these billion people realize that their numbers are HUGE, and that they aren’t alone, and by defiance and disobedience and strikes they could force the changes needed to start a genuine program to slash CO2 emissions and do what scientists say we must.
He’s writing and podcasting and working on tactics to make this happen. He doesn’t know what will work, but tries everything. Whatever shows some potential, he continues and what fails miserably he drops.
He believes EVERYTHING should be tried because the situation is urgent and so he supports ALL REAL EFFORTS of every type — not just his own.
He’s frickin’ crazy!
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