Study Guide: Discussion Questions Diversifying Power Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy By Jennie C. Stephens Foreword by Ted Landsmark
Chapter 1 What is climate isolationism? Provide an example of this way of thinking and explain why it is a narrow way to consider responding to the climate crisis. What is energy democracy? Describe how the renewable transformation away from fossil fuels can be viewed as an opportunity rather than a threat. If renewable resources are plentiful and abundant, how does a vision of a renewablebased society change the possibilities for the distribution of power? What are the principles of antiracist and feminist leadership? Explain what is meant by the phrase “All politics is climate politics.” Chapter 2 The domains of energy and climate have historically been dominated by white males focused on short-term gain. How have these leaders been effective? Who is “the polluter elite”?
What are some examples of how energy and climate policy has benefitted “the polluter elite” while excluding and dismissing the needs of others? Why have inequities in wealth and income grown so much in the United States since 1980? What is climate denialism and who has been supporting it? Why are fossil fuel subsidies controversial? What is solar geoengineering? How has the Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey demonstrated leadership in resisting the power of the fossil fuel industry? What is the Kochtopus? Not only have communities of color been negatively impacted by fossil fuel reliance but many of these communities have also been strategically manipulated by fossil fuel interests. What are some examples of this kind of environmental racism? Why is elevating public trust important for climate action and renewable energy? What was Martin Luther King, Jr. referring to when he wrote “Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection”? Chapter 3 What is precarity and how does it relate to climate and energy? How and why has the Sunrise Movement had such a powerful impact on climate policy? How has Varshini Prakash, one of the leaders of Sunrise, inspired leadership? Millions of American youth over the past several years have connected climate change with jobs and economic justice. What are the intersections they are seeing between those issues? Why is job creation an important part of the renewable energy transformation? What are reparations and what is the potential for reparations within the Green New Deal? Find a news article about the Green New Deal and assess the leadership described in the news article. What innovations related to the future of work do you think are most exciting?
Chapter 4 Why are local governments around the world declaring the climate crisis a public health emergency? What are the health implications that leaders are worried about? What can we learn about leadership on climate and energy by comparing national leadership effectiveness in managing the spread of the COVID-10 virus? Why are climate impacts often considered “threat multipliers”? Do you think emphasizing the health impacts of climate disruptions is a way to elevate concern and motivate action? Why is it important to move beyond technological innovations in health? What are the links among food, nutrition and climate? Chapter 5 How is the automobile culture in the United States gendered? How have recent changes in leadership diversity of the transportation planning sector shifted priorities and outcomes? The transportation sector in the US is responsible for 29% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also the site of significant inequities in access. How might we re-envision our transportation systems to serve both the environment and social justice? How might we leverage the rapid COVID-related decline in fossil fuel usage to build a renewable-based society with new cultural expectations about energy use? What does it mean to move beyond technological innovations in transportation? What kinds of radical changes in transportation are being proposed by diverse leaders like Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu? Chapter 6 How is housing insecurity related to the climate crisis? What is climate gentrification? Do you think housing should be considered a basic human right? Why was the organization “Moms 4 Housing” established and what do they stand for? What is the Green New Deal for public housing?
Chapter 7 Why is sharing stories of inspiring leadership important? What does it mean to “unlearn� racism and sexism? The final chapter includes suggestions for steps we can all take to harness our collective recovery from the pandemic to build a more sustainable and just future. Which of these actions do you think has the most potential to contribute to transformation? Given how divisive politics has become, how can the idea of antiracist and feminist leadership be framed so it will appeal to conservatives? The worsening climate crisis can be viewed with pessimism, despair and negativity. Why does the author provide reason for optimism? Do you share this sense of optimism?