Climate action in the U.S. is critical to avoiding dangerous temperature rise, potentially existential in nature. Progress toward reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions has been reversed by this administration and fossil fuel corporations given a green light to expand production.
That would be bad enough. But the rising authoritarianism of this administration makes climate action extremely difficult. The rapid backsliding from democratic institutions and suppression of dissent leaves corporate greed to act unchecked. Renewed support for the fossil fuel industry is accompanied by withdrawal from international cooperation, rollback of laws and projects that promoted clean energy and climate action, and legal actions against those who would defy the administration’s program and pursue climate action independently.
Working for meaningful climate action in this atmosphere must include actively opposing authoritarianism. We need to come together with others to fight back, including by using listening tools to tackle emotional blocks to building relationships and forming alliances that have eluded us in the past.
The climate movement is part of the many social movements that are coming together to organize against authoritarianism. We ask every person to join with us to push back as we work together for a livable world.
How we can work for meaningful climate action in this atmosphere:
- Address the rise of authoritarianism as we do climate work
- Support each other in state and local initiatives to address climate change
- Use the power of listening to look at emotions—discouragement, grief, fear, anger—to recover from feelings that would have us give up
- Come together with others who fight back—use listening to tackle emotional blocks to building relationships and forming alliances
- Use thinking turns in small groups to free up our thinking to arrive at new, creative, workable ideas we can implement.
