Climate Change: A report from the front lines
April 14th, the Foley Institute welcomed Bill McKibben, whom the Boston Globe awarded the title of the “most important environmentalist.” McKibben has organized approximately twenty thousand demonstrations around the world, with his latest campaign against the Keystone Pipeline, XL DISSENT, rallying even more protestors every day. The fights today “look very much as it used to,” McKibben explained that the role of activists was to “put things that people didn’t really focus on yet straight into the middle of the news cycle” and even be willing to go to jail for the cause. Making “respectful noise” is important through protest but has historically been interpreted as civil disobedience.
The voice of resistance movements, growing louder with every activist recruited, has been heard especially loudly this election year. McKibben applauded the many student activists who have taken on the role of confronting candidates on controversial issues. By voicing the priorities that the electorate is concerned with, candidates have actually felt the pressure to take appropriate action—most notably Hillary Clinton, McKibben remarked, had changed her stance on the Keystone Pipeline and other environmentally concerned legislation.
McKibben argued that the success of a cause pairs justice with the knowledge of playing the political game. The important fights unfortunately “don’t hinge on reason but on power,” McKibben went on to underscore the need to “build a series of movements, coalitions, and pressures” in order to make change. McKibben acknowledged that the abundance of money fueling corporate lobbyists can be daunting to stand up to, but that fights will only succeed if activists push against “the forces of the status quo [that] are applying enormous pressure” on a daily basis. The importance of citizen activism provides the “serious pushback” that demands change, without which “we would lose every single time.” Ultimately, McKibben stated, “left to their own devices, our institutions will favor those who have wealth and power, unless people can figure out how to intervene.” Through a collection of books authored by McKibben, and his organization 350.org, he hopes to empower protectors and activists for the environment.
Contributor: Shantara Pintak