Bill McKibben has an oped in today’s Los Angeles Times about the importance of the work y’all are doing: building a global movement to take on the climate crisis. As Billy wrote in his recent post, it’s going to take a new type of thinking and a new kind of tactics to get strong climate action. Bill writes,
In fact, the problem is pretty simple: The environmental movement isn’t big enough. It’s one of the most selfless of advocacy efforts. But the movement has been sized to save whales and build national parks and force carmakers to stick catalytic converters on exhaust systems. It’s nowhere near big enough to take on the fossil fuel industry, the biggest player in our global economy. It’s like sending the Food and Drug Administration to fight the war in Afghanistan.
Exxon Mobil Corp. made more money last year than any U.S. company in the history of money. That gives it more clout than all the green groups combined. Which is why, if the Copenhagen conference is going to be anything but a disaster, we need to build a stronger movement. All around the world. Very fast.
I think they are right about the environmental movement not being big enough. But then again, I suspect it is as big as any movement in US history, or bigger. Unfortunately, it won’t go as far as it needs to because most environmentalists are really into spending money, going on trips, and having things. And not into risking those things.
I think the article really leaps from its beginning (about how we can’t pull this off because Exxon has too much cash flow compared to Greenpeace) to its end (we should do lots of symbolic events like reef diving with “350″ banners, and that could make the difference). I think the other article you sent from IGHIH, about “re-thinking the rules of engagement”, pushes a more productive direction for our energy (though still ending remarkably vaguely…). I think working on major civil disobedience, general strikes, student strike/teach-ins, and aggressive transition to alternative (low-consumption) infrastructures through things like airplane and road boycotts and accelerating the rise of urban agriculture, is where I hope to put my effort. To the degree that 350.org can help build the awareness and interest necessary to make general strikes work, they are useful, but if Exxon is really as powerful as all that, I don’t suspect protests that don’t disrupt infrastructure will make the difference.