Climate Disobedience Ahead? Be Ready – Watts Up With That?

From MasterResource

By Robert Bradley Jr.

“Both climate exaggeration and extremism are out of favor, and the public will pounce at any social disruption from the Church of Climate.”

Michael Mezzatesta, self-described “economics & climate educator … sharing ideas for a better future,” urges the fractured, losing climate movement to regroup and up the ante.

“A silver lining of this election result: US progressive resistance movements are about to get a big boost,” he posted on social media. “I predict that it will be a huge four years for progressive organizing and the labor movement, and I think it will be a MASSIVE four years for the climate movement.”

I seriously doubt it. But wishful thinking about rescuing a false, futile, wasteful cause (real problems come first to the electorate) pervades. He continues:

By the next election, I believe the climate movement will be a major political force in US politics, as the Trump administration’s anti-climate policies galvanize millions more people to the climate cause. And I predict we will see mass protests and mobilizations beyond anything we’ve seen before.

So if you’re a progressive or someone who cares about the climate, please take some time to grieve. But when you’re ready, I hope you channel your anger and frustration into joining these resistance movements… Because if we start now, we will have so much momentum by the time another election rolls around!

He mentioned three places “you can start”:

1. Sunrise Movement is a massive coalition of young people fighting to stop the climate crisis and win a green new deal. They have local chapters all around the country, and they are ready for a bunch of us to join. (I just joined their post-election call, and it was awesome.)

2. Working Families Party is organizing to create a check against the moneyed interests that run the Democratic and Republican parties. They train young, progressive, working class people to run for office and get elected. (Over a HUNDRED THOUSAND people joined their post-election call.)

3. Climate Defiance is a climate activist group that uses direct action to disrupt the lives of powerful politicians and leaders and force them to treat the climate crisis like the urgent problem it is. They are pretty militant, and there’s some risk involved in their tactics, but we need them now more than ever. And for what it’s worth, I’ve met them and they’re great people! (cc Michael Greenberg and Evan Drukker-Schardl 🙂

Give these organizations a follow, and if you can, show up to their upcoming events. I can tell you it helps so much to be around other people who care right now, and it will remind you that you are not alone in this fight.

Analysis

Both climate exaggeration and extremism are out of favor, and the public will pounce at any social disruption from the Church of Climate. Regarding exaggeration, none other than climate alarmist Michael Mann, parting with Extinction Rebellion and with Scientist Rebellion (“performative attention whores”), warned:

hot takes, hyperbole, and polarizing commentary best generate clicks, shares, and retweets. I often encounter, especially on social media, individuals who are convinced that the latest extreme weather event is confirmation that the climate crisis is far worse than we thought…. increasingly today we see it with climate doomists…. This is not true, or at best partly true.

Regarding extremism, Mann lamented

the damage done by deeply misguided individuals who in principle would seem to be on the side of climate action but are instead dividing the community and playing right into the agenda of the forces of inaction.

It is hard being green.

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