Why hasn’t there been a declaration of a climate emergency?

An Associated Press article posted on Daily Kos reports the important news of the day – the Colorado Supreme Court declared the nasty guy is ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot due to the Constitution’s insurrection clause. A lower Colorado court had found the nasty guy had incited an insurrection, but did not bar him from the ballot because they said the insurrection phrase did not clearly cover the president. The Supremes said it is nonsensical to have that phrase apply to senators and representatives and not the president. Various Republicans declared it to be election interference and politically motivated. The nasty guy’s lawyers say they will appeal to the US Supreme Court. The Colorado ruling is stayed until January 4 because January 5 is the deadline for the state to print presidential primary ballots. In 2020 the nasty guy lost Colorado by a wide margin, so keeping him off the ballot there will make no difference in the election outcome. However, the case does set a precedent for high courts in other states. Liberaldad2 of the Kos community discussed some interesting details of the Colorado ruling. First, while the court’s vote for keeping the nasty guy off the ballot was 4-3 none of the dissents disagreed he was guilty of insurrection. Two of the dissenters believed this should be decided in a federal court. Second the dissenters (well, all the justices on the court) were appointed by Democratic governors. That means this wasn’t a partisan witch hunt. I finished reading a book that would have fit in well with yesterday’s long discussion of climate issues. The book is Facing the Climate Emergency, How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth by Margaret Klein Salamon with Molly Gage. This book arrived in the mail one day without me ordering it. The publisher or a climate agency must have gotten my address from a progressive group. That climate agency is The Climate Mobilization (TCM), an organization Salamon started. I let the book sit for a long while on my to-read shelf, then put it in my car to read while I’m waiting. So it took a while to get through its 120 pages. Here are some of the main points of the book. There are a lot of things and services out there to help us feel better. Which leads to the question: Why do so many of us feel bad? Salamon says it is because we recognize our planet is dying and through our passivity we are helping kill it. No, we’re not the primary driver of the planet’s ill health – corporations are. But we can face the truth and do something about it. So this is a self-help book, helping us to face whatever reason why we are so passive when it comes to climate damage. A bit reason is the problem is so vast and seems so intractable we want to avoid it to avoid the pain. Instead, we should face the pain and let the pain drive us to get to work, because the problem is worse than we think. The planet is not yet lost. Too many climate organizations operate with a “fear of fear” – don’t scare the donors. But that means they propose policies that don’t do enough good. It also means they avoid telling the truth about the potential for the collapse of civilization. People need the truth to be able to prevent and prepare. A big part of preparing is to quickly go to carbon neutral – even better is carbon negative. And the policies so far in place won’t get us there fast enough. So educate yourself on the true state of things. Yes, the potential collapse of civilization. The main driver of that will be migrants fleeing uninhabitable parts of the world and many developed countries gearing up to keep them out (see current news about Republicans and the southern border). There is also the potential collapse of agriculture from shifting weather. An early step in this self-help journey is to allow yourself to feel your feelings and do so without judgment and with compassion. A few examples of people told not to feel their feelings: A grieving person told to get over their grief. A person who is horrified they feel rage against a parent instead of love. A man being told feeling an attraction to another man is sinful. From this step go on to feel our feelings about a dying planet. Yes, this takes work and self compassion. In relation to the climate feel the fear and feel the grief. This includes the fear and grief that a collapsing civilization will mean to long-term relationships – or to their absence. Then begin to imagine a life of a climate warrior. Think about the skills and talents one has to contribute towards that goal. At the start of America’s entry into WWII the nation went into emergency mode. Everyone was asked to do their part. People accepted rationing as a part of their personal effort. Everyone was focused on the goal and had a contribution to the solution. Everyone, especially the federal government, directed a huge allocation of resources to the effort. America became the Arsenal of Democracy. We’re in a much more dire situation than we were during WWII. Why hasn’t there been a declaration of a climate emergency? Why is there still a culture of compromise rather than declaring failure is not an option? TCM has created an emergency action plan. A few items in that plan: The ecological footprint of the global economy is at 1.7 planets per year. It must be reduced to 0.5 planets per year. Stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure and phase out fossil fuel industries within ten years. Make energy conservation a top priority. Everyone has a role to play. We don’t need to wait for the government. Look to the example of the AIDS crisis and the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) that was effective in demanding the federal government treat AIDS like a regular epidemic. Those heavily involved did not treat it as business as usual. Many were fighting for the lives of their friends and for their own lives. To paraphrase Larry Kramer, ACT UP leader: Why aren’t we so scared that we’re screaming for action? Ready for action and just waiting to figure out what to do? There are many organizations to join and donate to: Sunrise Movement (geared towards youth), Extinction Rebellion (be ready to be arrested), Justice Democrats, and TCM. Tell the truth loudly to those around you and through your social media connections. Salamon then asks important questions: How much time do you have for volunteer work? Five hours a week? Twenty? Fifty? What are the skills and talents you can offer an organization? For example, if you’re a lawyer can you offer pro bono legal services? Can you lead a team or are you a follower? Can you care for the children of other volunteers? Can you plan actions and events? Do bookkeeping? Do tech support? Grant writing? The climate movement can use it all. How much money can you donate? Where can you cut costs so you can donate more? How much savings do you have and will a hefty savings account be of any use if civilization collapses? That last question is of interest to me. In contrast, if I drain my account and civilization doesn’t collapse how will I take care of myself in my waning years? Do you have a particular idea for saving the planet? Perhaps start your own organization, though it will take a great deal of time and work. And one of the biggest needs: Are you willing and able to fundraise? Very few organizations can run just on volunteers. All would be delighted with your efforts. There is one more task we can all do. Tell the candidates in your area running for all levels of office that you will support them only if they are willing to declare a climate emergency. Let me know if you want to borrow my copy of the book. Or look for it online. Ready to be a climate warrior?