When I’ve looked at environmental issues in the past, it’s always seemed like the scientific research was pretty much finished — we know climate change is happening, what it’s doing, and why — and at this point, all that’s left to do is figure out how to convince policymakers and individuals to take action.
But looking at everything we’ve been talking about in class for the past few weeks, it’s clear that I’m wrong on both fronts. Science has a long way to go even if the evidence for climate change is indisputable, and the task of creating social and political change is hardly unfamiliar or new — we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The climate action movement doesn’t have to build strategies and actions from the ground up; there are hundreds of examples from other movements, periods in history, regions, and groups that can provide inspiration or a model for new causes. The idea of treating activism like a science that can be studied, analyzed, and refined took me entirely by surprise, which I feel a little silly about now. It makes sense that along the way, people would take note of what works and what doesn’t and take those deconstructed parts and turn them into guides and manuals like Rules for Radicals.
But at the same time, it’s still important to see how those ideas have worked in context so we can understand how they should be adapted in different combinations and for different situations. For me, a lot of things clicked when we talked to Robin Kirk and she explained how she’s seen and used various approaches along the way to encourage local action as well as policy change. I still think that one of the biggest challenges facing climate change activists is overcoming the inertia of apathy and detachment — how do you get people to care about something enough to do something about it?
For something like the environment, which many people feel very distant from, activists have to first create the conditions that enable engagement from communities. This means creating a sense of agency and inclusion in communities across all kinds of demographic divisions and building your movement in a way that is accessible — people who don’t know how they’ll pay rent next month don’t have the free time and energy to work on recycling or energy use. This also means that you have to make it personal and show how it directly affects their lives while empowering them to feel like they have the ability and freedom to make a difference. If people are just scared, they won’t do anything. But if they are scared but know what they can do about it, they’ll start solving the problem.
But perhaps one of the biggest activist challenges comes not from the work itself, but finding the motivation to get started and keep going. Climate change can feel overwhelming and impossible, and the current political climate can make a lot of solutions seem hopelessly out of reach. But staying plugged in to both activist circles as well as your local community can help overcome those problems by serving as a reminder that there are lots of enthusiastic and hardworking people out there who share your goals and desires, and it is always possible to make an impact locally. Even a small change is valuable, and as Robin Kirk said, “things are impossible until they’re not” — so keep trying.
