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In Bid to Save Future From Trump, Groups Mobilize for Nationwide #ActOnClimate Day
"It's time, in short, to fight," writes Stephen Kretzmann
Jun 09, 2017
Since President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord earlier this month--a move Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune dubbed "one of the most ignorant and dangerous actions ever taken by any President"--calls for resistance have blossomed into plans for mass, collective action.
"The critical question right now is this: How do we build more political power, and how do we win?"
--Stephen Kretzmann
This weekend will offer at least one measure of the nationwide outrage at Trump's destruction of policies geared toward protecting the planet, as people across the country are set to march and "demand that their city and state stay in Paris and go beyond in getting us off fossil fuels."
Organized under the banner Act on Climate, the day of protest--which will take place in cities and towns nationwide on Saturday--was organized primarily by 350.org, with the backing of Greenpeace USA, Public Citizen, The Nation, and more than a dozen other groups.
In a piece published on Friday, The Nation outlined a to-do list for activists and those looking to get involved in the Trump-era climate fight, which included making calls to elected representatives to "demand that they commit to the goals in the Paris Climate Agreement and go beyond it" and spreading the work of "people and movements who are fighting back against climate denial and for climate justice."
As Stephen Kretzmann argued in piece for Oil Change International, only this kind of concerted action can produce meaningful change; attempting to convince Trump and his band of executives that they are wrong about the science is a losing venture.
The new president has now confirmed, wrote Kretzmann, "what an increasingly large section of the climate movement has been saying for a while now: don't bring a spreadsheet to a knife fight."
"The question for us--as climate and democracy and justice advocates--is not primarily which policy path leads to how many degrees of warming using what assumptions under whose scenarios," Kretzmann concluded. "The critical question right now is this: How do we build more political power, and how do we win? Less PowerPoint. More power. It's time, in short, to fight. There is no way to solve climate without confronting--and defeating--the fossil fuel industry."
As Common Dreams has reported, cities and states have decided to commit to the Paris agreement even as Trump has moved in the opposite direction. California Governor Jerry Brown, for instance, signed an agreement with China earlier this week in a bid to cooperate in the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
The rallies throughout the nation this week will celebrate such efforts "and urge those who haven't committed to take action now."
"Find a rally near you for Saturday's day of action defending the Paris agreement," urged Bill McKibben, co-founder and Senior Advisor at 350.org. "Weekends are for fighting fascism!"
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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Since President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord earlier this month--a move Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune dubbed "one of the most ignorant and dangerous actions ever taken by any President"--calls for resistance have blossomed into plans for mass, collective action.
"The critical question right now is this: How do we build more political power, and how do we win?"
--Stephen Kretzmann
This weekend will offer at least one measure of the nationwide outrage at Trump's destruction of policies geared toward protecting the planet, as people across the country are set to march and "demand that their city and state stay in Paris and go beyond in getting us off fossil fuels."
Organized under the banner Act on Climate, the day of protest--which will take place in cities and towns nationwide on Saturday--was organized primarily by 350.org, with the backing of Greenpeace USA, Public Citizen, The Nation, and more than a dozen other groups.
In a piece published on Friday, The Nation outlined a to-do list for activists and those looking to get involved in the Trump-era climate fight, which included making calls to elected representatives to "demand that they commit to the goals in the Paris Climate Agreement and go beyond it" and spreading the work of "people and movements who are fighting back against climate denial and for climate justice."
As Stephen Kretzmann argued in piece for Oil Change International, only this kind of concerted action can produce meaningful change; attempting to convince Trump and his band of executives that they are wrong about the science is a losing venture.
The new president has now confirmed, wrote Kretzmann, "what an increasingly large section of the climate movement has been saying for a while now: don't bring a spreadsheet to a knife fight."
"The question for us--as climate and democracy and justice advocates--is not primarily which policy path leads to how many degrees of warming using what assumptions under whose scenarios," Kretzmann concluded. "The critical question right now is this: How do we build more political power, and how do we win? Less PowerPoint. More power. It's time, in short, to fight. There is no way to solve climate without confronting--and defeating--the fossil fuel industry."
As Common Dreams has reported, cities and states have decided to commit to the Paris agreement even as Trump has moved in the opposite direction. California Governor Jerry Brown, for instance, signed an agreement with China earlier this week in a bid to cooperate in the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
The rallies throughout the nation this week will celebrate such efforts "and urge those who haven't committed to take action now."
"Find a rally near you for Saturday's day of action defending the Paris agreement," urged Bill McKibben, co-founder and Senior Advisor at 350.org. "Weekends are for fighting fascism!"
Since President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate accord earlier this month--a move Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune dubbed "one of the most ignorant and dangerous actions ever taken by any President"--calls for resistance have blossomed into plans for mass, collective action.
"The critical question right now is this: How do we build more political power, and how do we win?"
--Stephen Kretzmann
This weekend will offer at least one measure of the nationwide outrage at Trump's destruction of policies geared toward protecting the planet, as people across the country are set to march and "demand that their city and state stay in Paris and go beyond in getting us off fossil fuels."
Organized under the banner Act on Climate, the day of protest--which will take place in cities and towns nationwide on Saturday--was organized primarily by 350.org, with the backing of Greenpeace USA, Public Citizen, The Nation, and more than a dozen other groups.
In a piece published on Friday, The Nation outlined a to-do list for activists and those looking to get involved in the Trump-era climate fight, which included making calls to elected representatives to "demand that they commit to the goals in the Paris Climate Agreement and go beyond it" and spreading the work of "people and movements who are fighting back against climate denial and for climate justice."
As Stephen Kretzmann argued in piece for Oil Change International, only this kind of concerted action can produce meaningful change; attempting to convince Trump and his band of executives that they are wrong about the science is a losing venture.
The new president has now confirmed, wrote Kretzmann, "what an increasingly large section of the climate movement has been saying for a while now: don't bring a spreadsheet to a knife fight."
"The question for us--as climate and democracy and justice advocates--is not primarily which policy path leads to how many degrees of warming using what assumptions under whose scenarios," Kretzmann concluded. "The critical question right now is this: How do we build more political power, and how do we win? Less PowerPoint. More power. It's time, in short, to fight. There is no way to solve climate without confronting--and defeating--the fossil fuel industry."
As Common Dreams has reported, cities and states have decided to commit to the Paris agreement even as Trump has moved in the opposite direction. California Governor Jerry Brown, for instance, signed an agreement with China earlier this week in a bid to cooperate in the goal of reducing carbon emissions.
The rallies throughout the nation this week will celebrate such efforts "and urge those who haven't committed to take action now."
"Find a rally near you for Saturday's day of action defending the Paris agreement," urged Bill McKibben, co-founder and Senior Advisor at 350.org. "Weekends are for fighting fascism!"
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