Climate change activist Greta Thunberg sets sail for New York, in the 60-foot Malizia II yacht, from Plymouth, England, on Aug. 14.(Photo: KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES)
Aug 21, 2019
So far it's been the hottest summer ever recorded -- June was the hottest June, and July was the hottest month ever. France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands had their hottest days of all time, joining countries from Cuba to Vietnam and Togo to the Reunion Islands.
This is dangerous for two reasons.
One, it's destroying the planet.
And two, it's becoming so common that people may lose hope or tune out -- the news can be almost as sapping as the heat. But that apathy would come at just the wrong moment. The price of renewable energy hit a record low last month, when a Portuguese power auction produced the cheapest electricity in history. Given the political will, we could quickly make huge strides in combatting climate change.
The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) but also an assault on the future, a future that some have a larger share in simply because they'll be alive longer.
That's why we should be grateful to some of the youngest activists on the planet, people who refuse to become inured to business as usual, who won't give up. The most famous of them, Greta Thunberg, is on a sailboat for a journey to the United States, where she'll address the UN's climate summit in September. But she's far from alone. Thanks to the organization Fridays for Future, you can find Greta equivalents from Peru to Pensacola to Prague, from Ulan Bator to the gates of the UN.
Thunberg began her "school strike for the climate'' a year ago, arguing that if the world's adults weren't willing to prepare the planet for her generation, they were forfeiting their right to demand that her generation spend their youth preparing for their future. Kids across the planet saw the logic -- the biggest days of action have seen 1.4 million students out of the classroom and on the streets.
But after a year, they've done something new -- they've asked adults to join them. On Sept. 20, there will be the first all-ages climate strike (it will be Sept. 27 in some countries). People will walk off their jobs at some point during the day -- some will plant trees, others will join protests. The targets will be as diverse as the geography: In different parts of the planet, people will be sitting down in front of pipelines; demanding that their institutions divest fossil fuel stocks; urging UN nations to increase their carbon-cutting commitments; calling for carbon taxes; insisting on a Green New Deal. Athletes have pledged to join in, as have chefs and actors and politicians. Unions and even some businesses have said they'll take part. It's likely that the Global Climate Strike will mark the largest day of climate protest in the planet's history.
Will a single strike solve the climate crisis? Of course not. The students have shown persistence, and the adults will need to do the same. But the September strike will demonstrate two invaluable principles.
The first is that solving the climate crisis will involve disrupting business as usual. Even amid the greatest physical crisis human civilization has ever faced, we mostly get up each morning and do the same things we did the day before. There's nothing to indicate we're in an emergency, an emergency that grows deeper as each month passes. Adults should consider joining this walkout as a statement that they're committed to disruptive, transformative change.
The second principle is that elders need to act like elders. On what kind of world do we expect 15-year-olds to tackle our biggest problems by themselves? The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) but also an assault on the future, a future that some have a larger share in simply because they'll be alive longer. For the rest of us -- those who will die before climate change reaches its burning zenith -- the strike is a chance to show that our theoretical affection for our children and their children is sincere.
There's no guarantee that we can still solve the climate problem. One can be excused for despairing, but not for walking away. Especially at the most desperate moments, human solidarity is required. If a kid says help, you help.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Boston Globe
Bill Mckibben
Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org and ThirdAct.org. His most recent book is "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?." He also authored "The End of Nature," "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet," and "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future."
bill mckibbenextreme weatherfossil fuelsfridaysforfuturegreen new dealgreta thunbergpeople's climate march
So far it's been the hottest summer ever recorded -- June was the hottest June, and July was the hottest month ever. France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands had their hottest days of all time, joining countries from Cuba to Vietnam and Togo to the Reunion Islands.
This is dangerous for two reasons.
One, it's destroying the planet.
And two, it's becoming so common that people may lose hope or tune out -- the news can be almost as sapping as the heat. But that apathy would come at just the wrong moment. The price of renewable energy hit a record low last month, when a Portuguese power auction produced the cheapest electricity in history. Given the political will, we could quickly make huge strides in combatting climate change.
The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) but also an assault on the future, a future that some have a larger share in simply because they'll be alive longer.
That's why we should be grateful to some of the youngest activists on the planet, people who refuse to become inured to business as usual, who won't give up. The most famous of them, Greta Thunberg, is on a sailboat for a journey to the United States, where she'll address the UN's climate summit in September. But she's far from alone. Thanks to the organization Fridays for Future, you can find Greta equivalents from Peru to Pensacola to Prague, from Ulan Bator to the gates of the UN.
Thunberg began her "school strike for the climate'' a year ago, arguing that if the world's adults weren't willing to prepare the planet for her generation, they were forfeiting their right to demand that her generation spend their youth preparing for their future. Kids across the planet saw the logic -- the biggest days of action have seen 1.4 million students out of the classroom and on the streets.
But after a year, they've done something new -- they've asked adults to join them. On Sept. 20, there will be the first all-ages climate strike (it will be Sept. 27 in some countries). People will walk off their jobs at some point during the day -- some will plant trees, others will join protests. The targets will be as diverse as the geography: In different parts of the planet, people will be sitting down in front of pipelines; demanding that their institutions divest fossil fuel stocks; urging UN nations to increase their carbon-cutting commitments; calling for carbon taxes; insisting on a Green New Deal. Athletes have pledged to join in, as have chefs and actors and politicians. Unions and even some businesses have said they'll take part. It's likely that the Global Climate Strike will mark the largest day of climate protest in the planet's history.
Will a single strike solve the climate crisis? Of course not. The students have shown persistence, and the adults will need to do the same. But the September strike will demonstrate two invaluable principles.
The first is that solving the climate crisis will involve disrupting business as usual. Even amid the greatest physical crisis human civilization has ever faced, we mostly get up each morning and do the same things we did the day before. There's nothing to indicate we're in an emergency, an emergency that grows deeper as each month passes. Adults should consider joining this walkout as a statement that they're committed to disruptive, transformative change.
The second principle is that elders need to act like elders. On what kind of world do we expect 15-year-olds to tackle our biggest problems by themselves? The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) but also an assault on the future, a future that some have a larger share in simply because they'll be alive longer. For the rest of us -- those who will die before climate change reaches its burning zenith -- the strike is a chance to show that our theoretical affection for our children and their children is sincere.
There's no guarantee that we can still solve the climate problem. One can be excused for despairing, but not for walking away. Especially at the most desperate moments, human solidarity is required. If a kid says help, you help.
Bill Mckibben
Bill McKibben is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org and ThirdAct.org. His most recent book is "Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?." He also authored "The End of Nature," "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet," and "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future."
So far it's been the hottest summer ever recorded -- June was the hottest June, and July was the hottest month ever. France, Germany, Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands had their hottest days of all time, joining countries from Cuba to Vietnam and Togo to the Reunion Islands.
This is dangerous for two reasons.
One, it's destroying the planet.
And two, it's becoming so common that people may lose hope or tune out -- the news can be almost as sapping as the heat. But that apathy would come at just the wrong moment. The price of renewable energy hit a record low last month, when a Portuguese power auction produced the cheapest electricity in history. Given the political will, we could quickly make huge strides in combatting climate change.
The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) but also an assault on the future, a future that some have a larger share in simply because they'll be alive longer.
That's why we should be grateful to some of the youngest activists on the planet, people who refuse to become inured to business as usual, who won't give up. The most famous of them, Greta Thunberg, is on a sailboat for a journey to the United States, where she'll address the UN's climate summit in September. But she's far from alone. Thanks to the organization Fridays for Future, you can find Greta equivalents from Peru to Pensacola to Prague, from Ulan Bator to the gates of the UN.
Thunberg began her "school strike for the climate'' a year ago, arguing that if the world's adults weren't willing to prepare the planet for her generation, they were forfeiting their right to demand that her generation spend their youth preparing for their future. Kids across the planet saw the logic -- the biggest days of action have seen 1.4 million students out of the classroom and on the streets.
But after a year, they've done something new -- they've asked adults to join them. On Sept. 20, there will be the first all-ages climate strike (it will be Sept. 27 in some countries). People will walk off their jobs at some point during the day -- some will plant trees, others will join protests. The targets will be as diverse as the geography: In different parts of the planet, people will be sitting down in front of pipelines; demanding that their institutions divest fossil fuel stocks; urging UN nations to increase their carbon-cutting commitments; calling for carbon taxes; insisting on a Green New Deal. Athletes have pledged to join in, as have chefs and actors and politicians. Unions and even some businesses have said they'll take part. It's likely that the Global Climate Strike will mark the largest day of climate protest in the planet's history.
Will a single strike solve the climate crisis? Of course not. The students have shown persistence, and the adults will need to do the same. But the September strike will demonstrate two invaluable principles.
The first is that solving the climate crisis will involve disrupting business as usual. Even amid the greatest physical crisis human civilization has ever faced, we mostly get up each morning and do the same things we did the day before. There's nothing to indicate we're in an emergency, an emergency that grows deeper as each month passes. Adults should consider joining this walkout as a statement that they're committed to disruptive, transformative change.
The second principle is that elders need to act like elders. On what kind of world do we expect 15-year-olds to tackle our biggest problems by themselves? The climate crisis represents an assault on justice (those who have done the least to cause it suffer the most) but also an assault on the future, a future that some have a larger share in simply because they'll be alive longer. For the rest of us -- those who will die before climate change reaches its burning zenith -- the strike is a chance to show that our theoretical affection for our children and their children is sincere.
There's no guarantee that we can still solve the climate problem. One can be excused for despairing, but not for walking away. Especially at the most desperate moments, human solidarity is required. If a kid says help, you help.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.