The Climate Crisis and the Global Struggle for a Liveable Future
Critical lessons for creating a successful 'movement of movements' that is capable of tackling the issues of our time
On April 30, I visited an ‘action conference for climate justice’ in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The stated goal of this meeting of different environmental and social justice groups was to “create a shared perspective on the challenges of the climate crisis and a vision for a sustainable and just system change.” I hoped to learn more about why we as citizens still have not been able to spur on our governments to act on the scale that the climate crisis requires, and to figure out why our many social movements have not succeeded in seriously challenging the current status quo.
That the future is looking grim can hardly be disputed anymore, but there are still a great many things that are uncertain. We still have the power and the time to change how bad things will get, and to determine what kind of society we will be living in. No one will be unaffected. If things continue as they do now, climate change will smash like a “wrecking ball to a set of global dominoes”, destroying “the foundations of food and water security, smash onwards through the fragile structures of human and ecosystem health, and ultimately shake the very pillars of human civilisation.” If the pandemic has shown us anything, it is how easily our societies can be brought to a complete standstill when a global crisis hits. Considering that the climate crisis is countless crises wrapped into one, and that there will not be a vaccine to provide an easy fix, we should be doing everything we can to prevent the worst consequences.
That is where organising comes in: together we can influence our politicians to do more, bring our own initiatives to fruition, and help those of us that are most vulnerable. Therefore, if we want to address the climate crisis, not only in an effective way but in a way that is fair and just, we will need to build a movement. Hence, a critical question that needs to be asked, considering that we are talking about a problem of such magnitude and with such far-reaching consequences for everyone, is why environmental movements are having such a hard time reaching:
workers, many of whom are being exploited by the same companies that are large parts responsible for causing the climate crisis
minority groups, many of whom live in communities that have had to contend with pollution for generations, and that highly vulnerable to disasters like flooding or droughts
people outside the West, who will bear and are already bearing the brunt of the deleterious effects of the climate crisis, often on top of many other problems like heavy pollution, poverty, and oppression
The climate crisis affects everyone, so why are these and many other groups not at the forefront of environmental activism? The answer is, they already are. Or, more accurately, they have been for decades, if not generations, just not as ‘environmental’ movements.
Differing perspectives on how to address the climate crisis
Take a climate movement like Extinction Rebellion, for instance, which focuses on disruptive acts of civil disobedience. They appear to have a hard time attracting people from marginalised communities, who “don’t have the middle-class privilege of risking arrest”. This is indicative of a common criticism levelled against the environmental movement, if there is such a thing as a single movement. Many activists are supposedly too apathetic to the reality that environmental harm is much more likely to impact the working class and people of colour.
To understand this criticism a little better, let us take a look at this open letter to Extinction Rebellion, wherein climate justice collective Wretched of The Earth sums up the ways in which they believe the history and experiences of non-white activism are routinely overlooked or erased (‘whitewashing’). In the letter, which is worth reading in full, they unequivocally state that we have not arrived at this ecological crisis through “a sequence of small missteps”, but because of “powerful forces that drove the distribution of resources of the entire planet and the structure of our societies.” They go on to say that the “economic structures that dominate us were brought about by colonial projects whose sole purpose is the pursuit of domination and profit” and that “for centuries, racism, sexism and classism have been necessary for this system to be upheld.” Furthermore, they emphasise that the climate crisis is not something of the future, but something which has been happening for a long time to communities in the Global South as well as “those of us who are indigenous, working class, black, brown, queer, trans, or disabled”. These kinds of criticisms need to be taken seriously, because the scale and magnitude of the problems our society faces requires people from all over the world, in all walks of life, to work together as best as possible.
“You’ve all heard that “our house is on fire”. But for many of us, our house has been on fire for over 500 years.”
~Wretched of the Earth
The action conference – Sharing ideas and perspectives
Therefore, considering the differing perspectives and experiences that exist when it comes the climate crisis, organising meetings like an ‘action conference for climate justice’ seems like a step in the right direction. According to Extinction Rebellion NL’s Jelle de Graaf, the conference is a way for the different social justice movements to get to know each other a little better, so that they can form a shared perspective on the challenges of the climate movement, as well as to mobilise for the upcoming climate march in Rotterdam on June 19.
The conference kicks off with a plenary session. When I look around the room, I can see that it has attracted a wide range of groups and organisations. Amongst the visitors are climate activist groups like Youth for Climate, Fridays for Future, and Greenpeace, Dutch political parties like the green party GroenLinks and the Animal Party, as well as several religious, socialist, and agricultural groups, and even an Indonesian student association. Speakers include representatives from Oxfam, Fossil Free Netherlands, labour union FNV, and Milieudefensie (‘Environmental Defence’).
“We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat.”
~Bas van Weegberg, FNV
With people from so many different movements present, it does not take long before very practical questions are raised about how to make activism more effective, like how to embody the urgency of the problem in order to reach people, how to give a voice to those most affected by climate change, and how to keep scientific reports about climate change on people’s radar.
Later that morning, I join a session about the climate movement and the future of air travel. It seems improbable that climate goals can be achieved without reducing the number of flights. During the discussion, it is frequently acknowledged that it is vital that employees are involved if plans to change and shrink the aviation industry are to succeed. What makes this discussion even more relevant is the fact that it is taking place at the same time that Schiphol International Airport is brought to a near standstill by a spontaneous walkout of baggage handlers and other ground crew. Employees complain of high work pressure, bad working conditions, low pay, and a lack of permanent contracts. Interestingly, labour union FNV, who helped organise the conference, is not involved in the strike. However, they say that they are holding the airport responsible for the chaos that the strike caused, and they are demanding improved working conditions before the summer.
Why does the climate movement not involve the workers if it wants to change the aviation industry? Winnie de Wit, one of the speakers, has been making a stand against Schiphol’s expansion for years. She admits that she does not really know anyone who works at the airport, but that she is open to getting in contact with them. What follows is an interesting discussion about how employees can be included in actions against the aviation industry, what kind of messaging would be most effective, and how to build solidarity between activists, employees, and the people living in the vicinity of the airport.
Key aspects of building a successful movement
Clearly, social movements would benefit from joining forces and showing solidarity towards each other. How could such a ‘movement of movements’ come to fruition? After the lunch break, a discussion is held which aims to answer precisely that question. The speakers all have an extensive background in organising. Cihan Ugural of labour union FNV is fighting for a minimum wage increase, Jerry Afriyie for the abolishing of Zwarte Piet (‘Kick Out Zwarte Piet’), and Mieke Megawati for available and affordable housing (‘Het Woonprotest’). According to them, if we want to build a successful movement of movements that is able to transform our society and meet the difficult challenges ahead, we have to:
Make our demands concrete.
Take the demand for raising the Dutch minimum wage to 14 Euros an hour, for instance. “Even it is a drop in the bucket”, Cihan Ugural of FNV explains, “it is still going to make a difference for a lot of people. By transforming something complex, like the fight against worker oppression or the fight for a more honest distribution of wealth, into a concrete goal like raising the minimum wage to 14 euros an hour, you make the issue visible and tangible.” They then left the movement’s participants to their devices, as long as they acted in service of that concrete goal. “That is how a movement sprung up that took on a life of its own, suddenly there was this feeling everywhere.”
Jerry Afriyie of Kick Out Zwarte Piet agrees. People routinely ask him why he goes after Zwarte Piet and not other acts of racism. “If you can’t show the Netherlands that Zwarte Piet is racist, then how can you ever hope to address other, less visible forms of racism?”Show solidarity towards people fighting for the same thing as we are.
During the housing protests, Mieke Megawati of ‘Het Woonprotest’ explains, the police and media tried to differentiate between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ protestors. While the ‘good’ protestors were out in the streets with signs and chants, treated fairly decently by the police, the ‘bad’ protestors were occupying vacant buildings, and were violently removed. Essentially, she states, “the system profits when we don’t work together.”
Be the change you want to bring.
What has surprised Jerry the most during his years of activism, was not the aggression, or the police violence, but the obstacles that he encountered from his fellow activists. “My fear is that we are asking something of others that we ourselves are unable to realise. We should not forget that we too are people. That is why I travel around the country, so that I can figure out how, despite our disagreements, we can still come together. I see a lot of intolerance, among activists, in my own movement, and in the world at large. We should not pretend that we have all the answers. If we’re not careful we become like the people that we’re fighting against.”
Looking back on the day
A few days after the conference, Climate Crisis Coalition (KCC) project leader Jan Willem van Rooij tells me that the organisation has a good feeling about how it went. “First of all, because it was the first time we were able to come together in such a large group, and to reconnect with everyone who is active in the movement. We were also very pleased to see so many new faces, and see so many young people participating.” The organisation is still in the process of evaluating the day and exploring the ways in which they can use the insights that the conference brought to improve the movement.
“You make the issue visible and tangible […] that is how a movement sprung up that took on a life of its own, suddenly there was this feeling everywhere.”
~Cihan Ugural, FNV, campaigner of ‘Voor 14’, a movement to raise the minimum wage
If you want real change, build a movement
While the environmental movement has booked some impressive successes, for instance by forcing the climate crisis onto the political agenda and by forcing action through legal proceedings like the Urgenda case that forced the Dutch government to do more to reduce carbon emissions, there are still a lot of missed opportunities to do even more. The action conference has shown that the movement can do much more to build solidarity with other movements. A way to do this can be to fight for concrete, common goals.
To name an example, just last April, workers at Amazon and Starbucks formed unions, overcoming the companies' heavy opposition and often condescending efforts (see the image below) at stopping them. They are even going so far as to announce immediate pay increases for all employees EXCEPT those that work in unionised stores. It still remains to be seen how much these unions are able to change these corporations, but the companies’ heavy opposition is already an indicator of their potential for change is. Even small changes at these large corporations can not only have a huge impact on people’s lives, but on the environment as well.
One last thing that I want to mention to underline the importance of organsing in the face of the climate crisis, is the war in Ukraine. It is showing no signs of ending anytime soon, and the unimaginable consequences that continued escalation could cause are becoming ever more likely. The West is frantically turning to coal or other suppliers of natural gas like the United States, in a bid to achieve energy independence from Russia. They are even moving towards recognising Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, despite the brutal occupation that the region has been under for decades and a United Nations resolution calling for a “just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.” The fact that, in the name of achieving ‘energy independence’, Western countries are rushing to extract even more fossil fuels, is, in the light of the frankly terrifying IPCC climate report from a few months ago, in the words of the U.N. Secretary General, “madness”.
Ultimately, if we as a society are to stand a chance at survival and secure a liveable future, we need a movement that is larger than any in human history. The global scale of looming catastrophes like the climate crisis, nuclear war, and the many pandemics that are yet to come, requires a movement of movements, one that transcends borders, cultures, and languages. To achieve this, different social groups and movements need to do way more to share their knowledge and resources, and to create mutual solidarity in spite of their differences. Many of the issues of our time are interconnected. The sooner we realise that seemingly separate issues are actually part of the same struggle and that we need each other to succeed, the higher our odds are of creating a future that is more just, sustainable, and equitable for everyone.
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If there is one lesson we must learn from this covid ordeal of the past 2 years is that overreacting to a perceived risk generated way more harm than good.
For the climate issue, it will be the same if we let our emotions lead our decision-making process.