Climate Policies and Identities
Climate policy/Upcoming Events
As America heats up with the election, those of us concerned with creating a regenerative culture are paying attention.... to a lot of different and complex dynamics and their subsequent drama!
Part of what's so interesting about this election (besides the obvious news headlines) is the extent to which in this election, both the candidates agree to a need for "big systemic change." But even so, the conversation is less directly about policies, the economy, or "normal" politics. Obviously there are some drastically different explicit and behind-the-scenes policies… which impact every level of democracy! But much media attention, and much of what people are attending to, is more about more subtle levels of meaning, (epic) symbolism, memes, facial expressions, emotions, identities, and how each one responds to the other.
We can wonder the extent to which this has been true in American politics (especially in rural communities) for quite some time. Perceptions about identities have long played a bigger role than careful consideration of what kind of policies would actually help folks in rural communities!
And - as much as many of us are very much enjoying watching Kamala's ease and confidence in facing a man known for his abusive nature, it's worth noting that there are many things we could be talking about in terms of "things that will really help humans survive."
For example.... some good climate policy. And some good education policy. And some policies that enhance peace-keeping. And how those three things are related.
What does good climate policy look like?
And how's good educational policy going to relate to climate policy?
Here's some starters:
1. A firm and clear plan (including transitions) to get off fossil fuels - in a way that supports working-class people whose lives have long been wedded to the coal, oil, and gas industry.
2. Regulations on emissions and ending subsidies to, say, inorganic fertilizer.
3. Policy support for non-petroleum products (There are so many alternatives out there right now and they need a lot of support).
4. An end date for new oil and gas development.
5. Educational policy that links climate change and decolonization and actual regenerative livelihoods.
6. Educational programs for rural livelihoods that are firmly linked to non-petroleum-linked livelihoods (ie, sustainable farming).
Alas - climate activists seem to afraid that if they push Kamala, they will look like they risk a fascist-orientated presidential candidate to win. Which is (obviously) bad for people and planet.
One of our favorite climate reporters, award winning journalist Amy Westervelt, pointed out that this conversation is just not the current reality. As she writes:
"Instead, it's a whole lot of politicking and coyness around whether Kamala would ban fracking, or even what constitutes a climate policy. Plenty of folks are arguing that we shouldn't talk about climate at all because this is an election about fascism or not fascism.... But, as I've said many times before, the planet doesn't actually care about politics. The atmosphere doesn't respond to political compromises or clever messaging strategies, it responds to molecules, and we are dumping too many of the wrong kind of molecules into it to preserve a livable atmosphere for the maximum number of humans.
But Trump would be worse! I can hear them crying out already. And they aren't wrong.
And here's hoping that if Harris wins, her climate backers will be ready with a clear list of demands, that they will be as ready to criticize her embrace of the gas industry as they have been to shout at those who dared talk about it pre-election."
For more on this topic, here's a great conversation between her and one of her thought-partners on the podcast Drilled.
Below are some other resources that Amy has been recommending recently. This list, including the blurbs, is taken from her most recent newsletter.
And: if you like this kind of thing, I highly recommend you listen to Amy's podcast and you subscribe to her newsletter! She's doing incredible truth-telling climate-justice journalism... all the time.
Latest Climate Must-Reads
Oil companies sold the public on a fake climate solution — and swindled taxpayers out of billions. ICYMI we published this belter with Vox on how the fossil fuel industry re-branded an oil-production hack as a "climate solution" and got U.S. taxpayers to foot the bill.
Big Oil Sold Stuff They Knew Was Dangerous. There's a Law for That. (by Aaron Regunberg, for The New Republic). We've interviewed Regunberg before about how his organization, Public Citizen, intends to criminally prosecute oil companies. Here he spells it out in more detail.
In France, One Group Seeks to Do the Unthinkable: Unite the Climate Movement (by Anna Pujol-Mazzini for The Revelator and Drilled) - If ever the world needed a model for bringing together labor rights, civil rights, and climate under one tent it is now. And one French group has charted a remarkable path.
Louisiana federal court permanently blocks civil rights protections for Black communities statewide (by Terry Jones, for Floodlight) - Something that hasn't been getting nearly enough attention over the past couple of years is the massive increase in lawfare against any effort to address historic racial injustice. Trump's former chief of staff Stephen Miller has been filing dozens of suits against a wide range of DEI initiatives through his America First Legal operation, but there are dozens of other well-funded efforts underway. One of the recommendations in Project 2025's EPA chapter is to get rid of anything to do with environmental justice, and in this story we see that oil states like Louisiana are going ahead with that plan already.
From the cradle: How kids, newborns, and the unborn jump-started South Korea’s historic climate lawsuit (by Naveena Sadasivam, for Grist). This case, in which South Korea's constitutional court ruled that the government couldn't just set an emissions target, it actually needs to have a realistic roadmap for reaching that target (imagine that?!), is absolutely fascinating.
Upcoming Events
Participatory Action Research for Epistemic Rebels INFO WEBINAR
Join our PAR info webinar this September 23, 2023 1 pm ET to learn what Participatory Action Research is and how Dr. Felix Bivens has applied it to create positive change in communities around the world. Plus, get all the details about our upcoming PAR workshop this fall!
Participatory Action Research for Epistemic Rebels Introductory Workshop
Sponsored by the Regenerative School, in partnership with the Highlander Research and Education Center, this 4-day workshop will provide an intensive grounding in the theory and practice of participatory action research.
October 30th to November 3rd, 2024
ReMembering Course Info Webinar
The ReMembering Course is a powerful set of rare teachings into the art of ReMembering - focusing on how can interpret and re-member the origins of contemporary collective suffering (climate change, racism, the histories of institutions that continue to inflame harm).
Info Webinar: October 15, 1 pm ET