CCDS Workshop on Climate Change
Al Weinrub’s Topic: [Presented on July 24, 2009 at the CCDS National Convention in San Francisco.] MS Word Version
Non-governmental environmental movement; An overview of the different perspectives, proposals and approaches to the threat of climate change, their strengths and weaknesses in terms of human consequences.
The Climate Movement in the U.S.
1. World Situation and Implications for a U.S. Program
A. Impact of neo-liberal globalization on the world
· Transfer of resources and wealth from developing South to developed North
· Military intervention for control of fossil fuels (oil) and other resources
· Underdevelopment and poverty in the developing South
· Need for rapid development/industrialization in the developing South
B. International response to climate crisis
U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC 1992:
“parties should protect the climate system for the benefit of present and future generations of humankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”
Assertion by the developing South of right to development (not necessarily capitalist development based on carbon) Equitable solution consists of following points:
· Drastic carbon emission reductions in developed North
· Return of wealth from developed North to developing South in form of non-carbon development technology and adaptation assistance
· Sustainable development in both developed North and developing South
C. Implications of Equitable Solution for U.S. Policy
· Drastic emission reductions and a shift to renewable energy sources
· Transition to sustainable economy: distributed energy, waste reduction, efficient public transportation, sustainable agriculture, etc.
· Demilitarization (no wars for oil and other resources) and international cooperation
· Funding technology transfer and adaptation assistance to developing South
This represents a fight against powerful ruling class interests:
· To democratize energy
· To rationalize production and distribution for human needs rather than capital accumulation
· To dismantle U.S. military apparatus around the world
· To reclaim and recycle the wealth of the top 1% of population (stolen over the last 30 years)
D. Split within capitalist class on Global Warming issue
· Neo-liberals: favor business as usual, foreign domination, war, reject Kyoto protocols.
This faction (coal and oil) wants to maximize investments in fossil fuels, opposes cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
· Market opportunists: recognize a changed climate terrain and want to shape it in their favor.
This faction (Wall Street) doesn’t outright oppose regulation (they seek to neutralize it), but wants to use market mechanisms to achieve reductions, especially in favor of large market in emission allowances and offsets.
· Green new dealers: see a new green economy as the way out of the economic crisis.
This faction (solar, wind, renewable industry) favors state intervention to transition the economy in their favor.
2. The U.S Climate Movement: Structural
A. General character:
· Very many disparate organizations
· Very little coordination at tactical level
· Very small constituency
B. Examples of numbers:
U.S. Climate Action Network: about 75 organizations that participate in international NGO climate activities Greenpeace national Call to Action on Global Warming (Jan 2009): 150 organizations (50 national, 100 regional)
C. Types of organizations:
Established. Long-standing national environmental organizations with large funding base (Tactics: mostly lobbying)
National Resources Defense Council Environmental Defense Fund
National issue-focused advocacy organizations (Tactics: mostly education and policy advocacy)
Alliance for Climate Protection (Al Gore) 1 Sky
Think Tanks (Tactics: research and policy formulation) Center for Center for American Progress
Pew Center on Global Climate Change EcoEquity
National activist-oriented (Tactics: street heat, internet storm) Greenpeace
Student Energy Action Coalition (Google for many other links.)
Mobilization for Climate Justice
Local community-based (Tactics: local political pressure)
National Coalitions/Alliances/Networks (Tactics:
American Council on Renewable Energy
The Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative
D. Most all the national organizations depend on external funding sources to support staff, and have little active membership base.
3. U.S. Climate Movement: Political
A. General character:
· Very diverse goals and strategies
· Politics from supporting capitalism, to neutral, to explicitly anti-capitalist
· None shape the national legislative debate
B. Political tendencies within the climate movement (some organizations include more than one of the tendencies below):
Corporatists: Joined with major businesses in U.S. Climate Action Partnership. Helped fashion the national climate bill to include cap and trade approach, big giveaways to business (free allowances), gutting Clean Air Act...
Reformists: Believe in government regulation. Protest gutting of Clean Air Act, oppose offsets, etc. Point to inadequacies of climate bill and push to strengthen it under the conviction that something is better than nothing.
Anti-corporatists: Oppose the climate bill as a smokescreen for business as usual: continues coal expansion, cap and trade is a scam, government handouts, carbon markets. Better off without a bad bill. (Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Public Citizen.)
Green New Dealists: Prioritize new economy, funded by government, transition to renewable energy base, energy efficiency, mobilize technical resources of country. Solve economic crisis with solarization. These folks usually don’t get involved in issues around capping emissions (expansion of renewable is what is important).
Environmental Justice advocates: Fight the energy industry around power plants, refineries, etc because of the co- pollutant impact on poor communities and communities of color. Generally not active on national legislative front.
Sustainable development advocates: Often anti-corporate and anti-globalization. Push distributed energy, energy conservation, low consumption/low waste, transportation/land use planning, local food sources, and so forth. Active on local rather than national legislative front.
Climate justice advocates: Internationalist, anti-capitalist, anti-World Bank, environmental justice on local, national, international level, Sustainable economic development. Generally use mass mobilization tactics.
The climate crisis is directly linked to the financial crisis, the food crisis and the extinction crisis, as well as to militarism and war. They are rooted in an economic system dedicated to economic growth at any cost. We are uniting to challenge this system that puts profits over people or the earth. Urgent action to solve the climate crisis must include a complete transformation away from the dominant economic model of incessant and unsustainable growth, oppression and injustice.
Join us (Mobilization for Climate Justice) in promoting solutions to climate change that are locally controlled, decentralized, bioregionally appropriate and socially just. Thousands of these solutions already exist and need to be promoted and supported with public funds.
Personal lifestyle advocates: Argue that the culture must change by people making individual decisions about lifestyles, cutting carbon. Not generally active at any political level.
C. Evaluation of Climate Movement
As a whole, falls very short of what is required: small base, not well organized, inadequate political vision, very little influence on national legislation.
Compare to program needed: 1st page Item 1 C.
A strategy for achieving this program needs to be formulated. This program is the only apparent U.S. program that will make climate equity achievable in the world. It is not a socialist program per se, or even a left program, however to achieve it requires conscious class struggle. This program has not spontaneously arisen within the movement, except on its fringes, because it presumes a left perspective on social injustice, history, class forces, and the like. The challenge for leftists is to help formulate a strategy for achieving this program given existing material realities and class forces, which include the current composition of the climate movement.-
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