ADDRESSING THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Recognising that any kind of climate justice efforts should use a systemic and intersectional approach by encouraging young people to politicise the climate crisis and to challenge the individual-focused approach that is multiplied by popular culture and the media. Environmental sustainability should be promoted from a socialist educational perspective while empowering and supporting young people in their crucial role towards climate justice efforts by providing them opportunities for engagement.

TIPS:

It is very easy to fall into the trap of discussing only individual solutions to the climate crisis, such as how to decrease one’s individual carbon footprint. We fell into this trap and developed plenty of such activities in our ALL TOGETHER AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE project in 2011. As socialists, we must however put an emphasis on the systemic and intersectional approach of addressing the climate crisis!

Use IFM-SEI’s Resist! Toolkit to dive deeper into this topic. Discuss for example the connection between the climate crisis and racism in your groups.

Think about racial justice, intersectionality and decolonisation and reflect on the links between them and climate change through the workshop “If you didn’t know, now you know” (page 36) developed by Jorge Gómez from Integridad Absoluta as part of Resist! The Global Climate Divide:

> ACTIVITY: IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW > AGE: 12+

> OBJECTIVES: TO EXPLORE RACIAL JUSTICE, INTERSECTIONALITY AND COLONIALISM

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Give everyone a person description individually and have them share this character (examples in annex I)

2. Ask them to place themselves on a line looking at who would be affected the most by climate change and who would be affected the least.

3. Discuss:

Can you order people? Is it easy or hard?

Is everyone affected by climate change?

Who in general is affected the most/least?

What are the structures in place that put some people more at risk than others?

Is it possible to have a climate activism that unites all of these people? How?