Climate Justice Now! Occupy the Climate!
By Byron York
WashingtonExaminer.com
It's hard to make a really big
protest march about just one thing. Back in the days
of giant rallies against the Iraq war, all sorts of
groups wanted in on the action. There were
communists. Anarchists. Protesters mad about the
Florida recount. Katrina justice groups. Civil
rights organizations. And more. The crazy quilt of
aggrieved demonstrators made it hard to keep the
focus on protesting the war.
A similar dilemma faced organizers of the giant
People's Climate March, which clogged a big part of
Manhattan on Sunday afternoon. At times it seemed as
if the whole Lefty world, pushing every Lefty cause,
had showed up to march down 6th Avenue. Who was that
guy with the "FREE LEONARD PELTIER NOW!" sign? Okay,
that was just one person. But what about the people
waving the "INDIGENOUS RIGHTS PROTECT US ALL"
banners? The "Resistencia Indigena"? What about all
the unions — Teamsters, UAW, SEIU, Amalgamated
Transit Union, and more? What about the VOCAL-New
York marchers, who say their mission is to "build
power among low-income people affected by HIV/AIDS,
the drug war and mass incarceration"? What about the
Jews for Racial and Economic Justice? And the "TAKE
BACK THE CITY — HOMES FOR ALL" people? What about
the Fresh Direct protesters, angry at the company
that wants to build a facility on a Native American
burial ground in the Bronx? What about the "WE ARE
ALL MIGRANTS" people? And the ones who seemed to
step out of a time warp to chant "the people,
united, will never be defeated"? And of course, what
about all those jugglers and guys banging drums?
The genius of the People's Climate March, at least
as far as its organizers and participants were
concerned, is that the concept of climate is broad
and flexible enough to cover everything. It's about
saving the Earth, and all of its inhabitants. (Well,
maybe not for the woman shouting and waving a sign
saying "ONE CHILD PER FAMILY," who apparently wants
to save the Earth by depopulating it.) When People's
Climate is the banner, any sort of Lefty cause can
be subsumed underneath it. Thus the "DECOLONIZATION
COOLS THE PLANET" people, and the "CLIMATE CHANGE IS
A HEALTH CARE CRISIS" people, and the "VEGANISM
SAVES THE PLANET" guy all march together.
Just as the world's indigenous people are threatened
by climate change, so are vegans, and those affected
by HIV/AIDS and mass incarceration, and SEIU shop
stewards, and more. The People's Climate March was
kind of a reverse "Seinfeld" — it was a protest
about everything.
Of course, there was plenty of demonstrating focused
on specific environmental issues, like fracking. But
out of the entire cacophonous mess, a big theme
emerged at the march, and it was the idea of
"climate justice." In its simplest form, that means
it is time for those who concerned about global
warming to start kicking ass.
One of the most arresting images at the march came
not from any of the big groups, but from a single
protester wearing the Guy Fawkes mask popularized in
the movie "V for Vendetta," a mask which later
became a favorite of the Occupy Wall Street
movement. The man held aloft a handmade sign that
said simply: "ANGRY PACIFIST." Nearby, and
throughout the crowd, were lots of people waving
professionally-printed signs that said "TAX WALL
STREET —END CLIMATE CHANGE." And throughout, there
was chanting: "What do we want?" "Climate justice."
"When do we want it?" "Now!" (A particularly
enthusiastic group was serenading former Vice
President Al Gore and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio
as they walked the route.) The effect was to bring
the spirit of the Occupy movement to the global
warming issue. And the message was: We've had it.
It's time to make those one percenters, and giant
corporations, and frackers, and, of course, the Koch
brothers pay for their environmental crimes.
"Climate justice" is a hugely popular concept on the
Left. As one group, the Climate Justice Alliance,
describes it, climate justice activists seek to
"forge a scalable, and socio-economically just
transition away from unsustainable energy towards
local living economies to address the root causes of
climate change." And more:
We are rooted in Indigenous, African American,
Latino, Asian Pacific Islander, and working-class
white communities throughout the U.S. We are
applying the power of deep grassroots organizing to
win local, regional, statewide, and national shifts.
These communities comprise more than 100 million
people, often living near toxic, climate polluting
energy infrastructure or other facilities. As
racially oppressed and/or economically marginalized
groups, these communities have suffered
disproportionately from the impacts of pollution and
the ecological crisis, and share deep histories of
struggle in every arena, including organizing, mass
direct action, electoral work, cultural revival, and
policy advocacy.
The answer for most of these inequities, as climate
justice activists see it, is a massive transfer of
wealth, both within the United States and from the
U.S. and other developed countries to poorer nations
around the world.
Among the many groups listed as People's Climate
March sponsors, a total of 47 have the word
"justice" in their titles. There is Interfaith Youth
for Climate Justice. The Alliance for Global
Justice. Earthjustice. Barnard-Columbia Divest for
Climate Justice. Congregations for Peace and
Justice. Arise for Social Justice. Mount Holyoke
Climate Justice Coalition. Interreligious
Eco-Justice Network. NYC Environmental Justice
Alliance. And many more.
Put it all together — all the justice demanders, the
tax Wall Streeters, and the spirit of Occupy
symbolized by the angry pacifist — and the People's
Climate March was one long, loud, loosely organized
demand that vast sums of money be taken from the
wealthy and given to the clients of the coalitions
and alliances and networks and task forces that make
up today's environmental justice movement. They've
had enough of debating climate models. They want to
start taking — now.