2019 was undoubtedly a year of awakening to the climate emergency. Environmental warnings have intensified. All this information has started to form part of the conversation for a wider public, not just for small groups of nerds or experts. These conversations are part of the change that is happening. In order to make the most out of this inflection point, we need to have a debate on what should be the way forward in climate activism in the coming months and years. Here, we put forward some suggestions for key ways in which we can intensify the climate fight in the coming decade.
Strength in the streets
2019 saw many unprecedented climate protests all over the world, with the numbers in the street growing as the year progressed. Climate change has finally moved the masses to protest. This is a moment we need to seize. We must be clear that the route to profound political change is through increasing public pressure, ideally until resistance cracks. Public pressure delivers: declarations of climate emergency have started to mushroom at various levels of government, from local to national. However, the numbers are far from enough at the moment. Mobilizing larger sections of the population will give legitimacy to our struggle in the eyes of ever-increasing numbers, thus creating a virtuous circle.
Escalation in tactics
Additionally we need other tactics for this new era of emergency. We need to live disobedience experiences as part of our personal journey in ecosocial transformation, and to do so within a strong support network which backs those people who, as a result of their actions, are considered to have broken the law. We need to come up with new forms of disobedience, thinking outside the box and highlighting where guilt truly lies, while remembering the need to keep public sympathy on our side.
