This is a sharp and thoughtful essay. But I think you’ve over-estimated the power and flexibility of capitalism. Like any system capitalism will, and arguable HAS overreached—and is doomed.

For all its vaunted productivity, adaptability, productivity and resilience, it is destroying the climate and won’t survive.

The trick here is for US to survive. Our children and future generations are depending on us. Because leaders everywhere—the United States, Russia, China, India, EU, the UK, Australia—pretty much everyone—has failed to protect the climate and is rendering the Earth an uninhabitable hell hole.

But they haven’t completed the job yet. Climate scientists say that the planet is grievously damaged but that we can STILL prevent the worst.

While you believe we need a direct attack on capitalism, that we must develop a class consciousness and destroy it, I disagree. I fully understand and sympathize, but still respectfully disagree.

People will never unite around something as abstract as an ideology. Besides, who cares about ideologies? We care about people, about Nature, about life.

And people everywhere CARE DEEPLY ABOUT THEIR OWN CHILDREN. Most people live their lives in a way to give their children the best shot at a better life—even at great personal sacrifice.

They don’t give a fuck about capitalism or communism or anarchism. Oh, they might get caught up in some kind of -ism, but that’s a shallow and fickle alliance compared to their feelings for their children.

I intend to spark a kind of revolution—a non-violent one powered by love, not anger—to save the Earth for everyone’s children.

To you, this may seem weak and absurd, and especially naive. It would be as ridiculous as Gandhi ousting the British from India. Or Martin Luther King integrating buses and lunch counters and schools in the American south.

Yes, we have a group that says it’s literally insane to cooperate with the people (and actions, laws and norms) that are destroying the climate and dooming our children. We are committed to Gandhian actions to end fossil fuels, end climate abuse, and preserve what’s left of our planet—so our children can have decent lives.

THIS is something people everywhere can get behind. It’s not abstract. It’s real. They are seeing and feeling it every day. The floods, droughts, mudslides, storms, shortages, heatwaves. It’s all there, removing the fig leaf of lies that protect the American plutocracy and whatever we want to call Middle East oil sheiks, heads of authoritarian countries like China and Russia, and even the relatively humane countries of the EU.

The group is WeAreSaners.org and, although we are small, our message is resonating and we are growing. We plan both symbolic and “real” actions.

We won’t be asking the authorities first concessions. We will be making non-negotiable demands. Because Nature doesn’t compromise. She goes by Her Own rules. We have no choice but to obey—or die.

We may or may not succeed. This is a giant and challenging task and we are racing time. But we will try and we have a real chance of success.

We see ourselves and one movement with no real enemies. Even oil company executives want their children to live full and complete lives—and in their hearts, they know that fossil fuels will kill that possibility. Deep down, anyone who isn’t deluded or insane is on our side.

IF we can get the word out, my bet is that our movement could top a billion people.

Anyway, I’m personally giving it my all. Not for my conscience or to impress others. I’m getting old and I’ve had a very good life. I feel strongly that the next generation is entitled to better lives.

It’s insane to destroy the planet you live on—or to allow others to destroy it.

WeAreSaners.org

People can sign up for the email list at WeAreSaners.org/join