Some lessons
I used to find plenty of stories for these newsletters. I’d ask, ‘What can we do to help fight climate change and its effects?’ Buddy would research it. Then I’d write it.
But the last few months have cut down on the answers to that question.
Emissions regulation is being reversed, and
Funding for climate protections is gone, at least temporarily.
So I’m apologizing for writing these days more about what we can do politically to fight against, not climate change, but our federal government. I realize that’s not what many subscribers signed onto ClimateDog to read. But to face up to the climate threat, America first has to face up to the political threat. The question is how.
A recent tutorial
Hilary tells the story.
Last weekend David and I were standing in front of the local courthouse waving our posters at passing cars. It was the national ‘Hands Off’ rally. I turned to find a couple of kids walking behind us. They stopped. We all introduced ourselves. Such sudden connections are of course part of the scene at protests. We talked about what the future might hold for us all. And how important campaigning is going to be, especially knocking on doors.
The girl asked us if we had read Yale professor Timothy Snyder's book On Tyranny. ‘Oh yes!,’ we both said. She then told us she had brought with her 10 copies of that little book to hand out to fellow protesters who had yet to read it.
I was amazed. I never would have thought of giving that little book to strangers. But it contains deeply disturbing examples of how democracies were lost unwittingly to fascism throughout history - and how we act to avoid that fate today! [Hilary]
Three lessons from that moment
Three questions I’ve been pondering were answered by that chat with the college kids.
How do we politely involve others around us who are not climate activists? Protest leaders tell us, ‘Now go out and recruit family, friends and neighbors for the next rally.’ That’s an uncomfortable assignment for most of us who really don’t want to start a conversation on politics. But here’s another approach: just give them the book and say something like ‘This has lots of ideas about dealing with the current political environment - for both liberals AND conservatives.’
Whom should we try to involve? These two kids were very concerned about climate change. Their generation will be particularly hurt by its progress and should be particularly willing to fight to slow it down. We should find more ways to help them join - and lead - climate actions.
Are there lessons in On Tyranny that apply to those of us trying to reduce emissions and protect ourselves against climate damage?
I think the book’s very first lesson is particularly apt at the moment. Snyder writes:
Do not obey in advance
Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do. [Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny]
Many progressives are simply lying down in front of Trump’s steamroller. Some have said to me, "Gotta wait it out. Can’t do anything at the moment?”
It may be that our letters, our placards, our bumper stickers, our rallies, even our living room meetings with friends, don't have much immediate effect. But those actions will keep us angry, and they will show everyone around us that we’re angry and are not lying down. We are ready to rise up. We are not obeying in advance.
And hey, just as Trump swung overnight from huge tariffs to no tariffs for 90 days, maybe he’ll think better and suddenly release the Inflation Reduction Act funds for climate protections. To explain his huge about-face this week, Trump said, ‘Over the last few days I thought that people [in the investment industry] were getting yippy. They were getting a little bit afraid.’
Let’s make sure he knows that Americans with climate concerns are getting really yippy.
Timothy Snyder writes a Substack newsletter called Thinking About. His letter From the Storm to the Stormtroopers, The Facist Logic of Climate Lying about ‘impotence politics’ is particularly apt.
Excellent!! Thank you!
How to go, Hilary!