So, fracturing amongst the various environmental and social justice groups has been going on as long as I've been in the movement. But there have always been those (like myself and some of my colleagues in #EarthFirst and the #ThomasMortonAlliance and #AIM) that saw #HumanRights abuses and #EnvironmentalPollution as being connected -- and that #CorporateGreed was the main driver of most of the issues facing our planet!

Hear Me Out: In 2025, Climate Activists Should Spend Less Time on Climate

If you’re a climate activist who doesn’t know what to do for the next four years, the answer is remarkably simple: Join other movements.

“[Climate is] not more urgent than kids being ripped away from their families and dying in the desert—anyone who tries to win that argument is monstrous themselves. We either merge, join forces, or we lose,” #NaomiKlein, 2019.

Sophie Shepherd
Jan 09, 2025, Common Dreams

"Yet my optimism arises out of a different trend in the climate movement: Climate activists are (finally) showing up for other movements.

"Historically, the climate movement has attempted to isolate itself from other political and social issues, arguing that climate policy is 'just science.' This majority-white movement has failed to see that fossil fuel emissions are part of a larger history of the Global North #colonizing and exploiting both people and the planet for decades. The climate crisis is a symptom of a broader exploitative system. To change that system, we need a united left that will fight for all people—not just those who identify as environmentalists.

"In 2020, climate activists were rightfully berated for not showing up enough for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Thankfully, I think many climate activists heard that message because today, they have come out in droves for #Palestine.

"Many of the college students who organized campus encampments last spring to urge their school administrators to divest from Israel and the U.S. imperial war machine were students who had previously organized for climate justice. I witnessed this firsthand at the Claremont Colleges when I was a senior: The student organizations demanding fossil fuel divestment fell to the wayside as the crisis in Gaza intensified. Globally, many climate organizations chose to speak out and take direct action to call for a cease-fire in Gaza.

"But none of these climate activists had stopped caring about the climate. In fact, they often pointed out that Israel’s actions were not just #genocide, but #ecocide as well. The onslaught of #bombs dropped on Gaza will contaminate the soil and groundwater in the region for decades. And the destruction has produced at least 54.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, equal to the annual emissions of 16 coal-fired power plants.

"Climate activists cannot claim to fight for a just future and stay silent about genocide. 'If we, as climate activists, aren’t able to see and speak up against the current #marginalization and oppression and killing of people today, then I don’t think we should be able to call ourselves #climatejustice [activists],' climate champion #GretaThunberg told Al Jazeera in early December 2024.

"As Trump prepares to enter the White House, we will undoubtedly see more people oppressed and killed. Among the many groups who are vulnerable under his administration are undocumented immigrants, whom Trump has vowed to round up and deport.

"Migrant justice has long been intertwined with climate justice. As climate change makes many areas around the world uninhabitable, climate refugees have no choice but to leave their home.

In response to Trump’s election, climate organizers Jeff Ordower and Ahmed Gaya called on their fellow activists to bring their experiences of shutting down pipelines and coal plants to fight the incarceration and deportation we can expect under Trump. Climate activists should answer this call: The struggles for migrant justice and climate justice are intertwined, and we must meet the needs of the current moment.

"'[Climate is] not more urgent than kids being ripped away from their families and dying in the desert—anyone who tries to win that argument is monstrous themselves. We either merge, join forces, or we lose,' writer and activist Naomi Klein said in 2019.

"With Trump as president, things will undoubtedly get worse before they get better. We need to build a strong left to fight fascism during Trump’s presidency and to build a just green future in its aftermath. To do so, climate activists must put their words into action when they say they fight for every living being."

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/climate-movement-fight-fascism?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
#WaterIsLife #NoGenocide #NoBombs #HumanRightsAreNeverWrong

#IndigenousAustralian lawmaker confronts British royals: ‘#YouAreNotMyKing'

Story by Hilary Whiteman
October 21, 2024

“Britain’s #KingCharlesIII had just finished giving a speech to #Australia’s Parliament House on Monday when an #Indigenous senator began yelling, 'You are not my king.'

“From the back of the room, Independent Senator #LidiaThorpe shouted at the royal couple, 'Give us our #LandBack, give us what you stole,' as security officers moved to escort her away.

“The interjection came as King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the Australian capital Canberra to meet the nation’s leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

During his speech, King Charles acknowledged Australia’s #FirstNations people, who lived on the land ‘for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of British settlers over 230 years ago.

“‘Throughout my life, Australia’s First Nations people have done me the great honor of sharing so generously their stories and cultures,' King Charles said.

'I “can only say how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom.'

“Earlier, a traditional Aboriginal welcoming ceremony was held outside Parliament House for the royal couple, but for many of the country’s Indigenous population, they are not welcome.

“The arrival of British settlers to Australia led to the #massacre of #IndigenousPeople at hundreds of locations around the country until as recently as the 1930s. Their [descendants] still suffer from #racism and #SystemicDiscrimination in a country that has failed to reverse centuries of disadvantage.

“Thorpe, a #DjabWurrung #Gunnai #Gunditjmara woman, has long campaigned for a treaty and has previously voiced her fierce objections to the British monarchy.

“Australian’s Indigenous people never ceded #sovereignty and have never engaged in a treaty process with the British Crown. Australia remains a Commonwealth country with the King as its Head of State.

“During her swearing-in ceremony in 2022, Thorpe referred to Australia’s then-Head of State as 'the #colonizing Her Majesty #QueenElizabethII,' and was asked to take the oath again.

“She did so while raising one fist in the air.

“On Monday, protesters stood with an Aboriginal flag as the royal couple visited the Australian War Memorial. A 62-year-old man was arrested for failing to comply with a police direction.

“Before she yelled at the King, Thorpe turned her back during a recital of 'God Save the King,' Australian media reported. Images showed her wearing a possum-fur coat, standing in the opposite direction of other attendees.

“#TheGreens party said in a statement that the King’s presence was 'a momentous occasion for some' but also a 'visual reminder of the ongoing #ColonialTrauma and legacies of #BritishColonialism' for many First Nations people.

“In the statement, #Greens Senator Dorinda Cox, a #YamatjiNoongar woman, called for the King to be clear in his recognition and support of ‘First Nations #justice, #TruthTelling and #healing.'

“‘He now needs to be on the right side of history,' she added.

“The Australian Monarchist League demanded Thorpe’s resignation after what it called a 'childish demonstration.’”

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/australian-lawmaker-confronts-british-royals-you-are-not-my-king/ar-AA1sD1n0