Let’s first admit a few things.
One, “we” have left it late or because of enacted inertia, and predatory delay, it is now too late to avoid serious climate impacts (as for “we” – well, read this by Dr Genevieve Gunther).
Two, there are already very serious climate impacts affecting the poorest in society and the most vulnerable humans and nonhumans.
Three, although we have known in public about the issue for a third of the century, the existing models of mobilising have absolutely failed to put a dent in increasing emissions.
Four, if we’re going to use some of our limited, valuable time and mental energy on learning the history, we need to do it with a critical gaze. And we need to be reflecting on why this matters now and what we can learn.
If you accept those four things, then you’ll see where I’m coming from, with All Our Yesterdays and – to whatever extent – be “on board”.
I now offer some generic (and unsolicited – but you did click on a page called ‘what is to be done’ so some of this is on you) advice for everyone. And then some specific advice for social movement organisations within broader ecosystems,
Generic advice
Number one
Learn the history and then you will see that
- technologies rise and fall and rise again as “solutions”
- the people promising human interaction now also promised human interaction 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, and almost without exception, it has not come to pass.
And then you should draw your conclusions about why that is. And I would suggest that you can go beyond “individual politician/leader X was weak, corrupt,” that may be true, but it’s an insufficient explanation
Number two
You are going to need to build a support network because staring into the abyss will mean that the abyss stares back into you. If you see yourself as an individual immune to the emotional impacts of really understanding where we are then you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Number three
Pick a “thing” to be an activist about, and stick to it. Don’t be a tourist who lurches from sexy issue A to sexy issue B to sexy issue C, always chasing the action. You will exhaust yourself you will lose sight of the important stuff, you will contribute to the Smugosphere and the Emotacycle.
Good luck.
Advice for groups
First, accept that sustaining a decent functioning group for more than six months is fantastically difficult. And if you allow yourself to get swept up in the initial moment of coming together and orgasm then there will be trouble ahead. If you do not invest in building the skills, knowledge and relationships of individuals within the group, then don’t be surprised when your group shrinks, rather than grows. You have to accept that some of the people you try to help to develop will not accept it, while others will accept it but then take their skills and bugger off elsewhere – either to get rich or to be involved in another issue, another group – that is how it is.
You have to have ways of having very effective meetings and decision making processes, whether it is hierarchical, so-called “non-hierarchical,” because the longer you take to make decisions, the more you will build up resentment and exasperation in the hearts and minds of members of the group and they will become less available and then unavailable to be involved.
You need to communicate what you are trying to achieve, so that you all have “shared situational awareness” that you understand the commander’s intent, whether the commander is the chair or the group as a whole unit. You need to communicate clearly with other groups in your issue space and local area.
But you mustn’t get sucked into capital city-itis and chase the emotions because emotions are a great servant and a lousy master.
I could go on and on and on. Suffice to repeat that it is so hard to sustain a community group in the long-term – it is fantastically difficult. Most such groups do not last, and they leave behind them disappointed, angry, resentful, guilt-ridden individuals who are then less available or unavailable for future efforts. Meanwhile, their failure sends a signal to people who are watching that there’s no point getting involved.
And now I am going to shut up
See also: “Dear New Climate Activist” from early 2019.