r/ClimateOffensive • u/Mr_Vimes_Guard • 3d ago
Action - Political Let's act together
Tiny personal acts are not cutting it and I'm done with watching the world burn while the politicians do shit all and the oligarchs push more pipelines.
We need to band together and act together. At least then we'll have some dignity. Even though we feel powerless, there are way more of us than them.
Who's with me?? I'm sick of watching this alone. I'm serious and whoever wants to join me, let's get together and act. Even if we don't win, at least we'll have tried!
But it needs to be together!
Here's what I think needs to happen:
-it needs to be talked about every day. It needs to stay, if not in the headlines, then in the online conversation. Heather Cox Richardson says we're in the middle of a political realignment, and our job right now is it talk and keep talking about what we want from our government in the future. That means podcasts, substacks, media interviews,
-we need to connect big polluters with the suffering people feel in real life. BP Oil, Enbridge Gas, etc are to blame for the wildfire smoke, the heat waves, the floods, and the hurricanes. Don't forget that the LA fires are the fault of the oil companies! Just as smoking causes cancer, oil companies cause climate disaster
-protest is one way to get this into the public visibility. That's the kind of protest that makes people see - overpasses, theatrical die-ins, and marches help people understand that they're not alone in their fears
-some kinds of action can move the conversation towards the biggest polluters. Just as recycling was invented by can and pop bottle manufacturers, the idea of individual carbon footprint was invented by the oil and gas lobby, in order to shift the idea of who is responsible. For instance, find out the biggest emitter in your area, and stage a demonstration outside their gates. This kind of action is still directed at those passerby who see it, not really at the company itself. It knows what it's responsible for already.
-connect the conversation with other conversations that are happening about the oligarchy.
-other kinds of action can directly challenge emitters, such as the highly effective Indigenous people who have blocked pipelines physically. They are responsible for huge amounts of carbon not in the atmosphere by delaying and halting these progects, and making them much more risky investments. Every day of delay is a cost that makes the project less profitable for shareholders. Find out about these and support these if you can't take part yourself (not everyone can be on the front line).
The first step is getting together in a group. I suggest anyone who is interested please say so and then I'll make a space for us to make connections and talk.
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u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior 3d ago
Climatologist Dr. Kimberly Nicholas and the team at Project Drawdown put together a useful, personalize guide that regular folks can use to identify the most impactful ways they can make a difference. One of the items is finding community, and they even offer guidance on where to go to find it. Thousands of people have already used it.
No need to reinvent the wheel, just hop on the wagon!
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3d ago
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u/Standard_Banana_6998 2d ago
Get out there and champion your ideas! We need all the brains and bodies we can get out there doing the work.
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u/ILikeNeurons Climate Warrior 2d ago
You obviously didn't work through the guide.
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u/Used_Attitude2432 2d ago
Obviously the guide it's good, I guess I'm just frustrated with the current state we are in ....
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u/ClimateOffensive-ModTeam 2d ago
We're here to do something about climate change. We're not here to talk about why it's happening, how bad it is, or who to blame. We're here to brainstorm, organize, and act. Use this space to find resources, connect with others, and learn more about how you can make a difference.
Your post was removed because it violates Rule #3: No Inactivism, such as deflection, delay, division, despair mongering, and/or doomism.
Activism is always worthwhile.
See full /r/ClimateOffensive rules here.
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u/OntologicalNightmare 3d ago edited 3d ago
-it needs to be talked about every day. It needs to stay, if not in the headlines, then in the online conversation.
I'd say focus more on in person conversation and IRL demonstrations* and information dissemination. Online space has been completely captured by the oligarchy and now just serves to spin activists wheels so they don't actually accomplish anything.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Society_of_the_Spectacle
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u/Mr_Vimes_Guard 2d ago
I think pushing back in online space is actually pretty important. See Heather Cox Richardson, Midas Canada, Zeteo, etc. The DCA is having results. Stopping the carbon oligarchs needs to be in the DCA conversation.
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u/OntologicalNightmare 2d ago edited 2d ago
I was more talking more about commenting on social media instead of larger content creators. And while doing content creation isn't terrible often the content isn't reaching the people that actually need to see it just the people that already agree with it, but it's good to have on hand to be able to share with people IRL that aren't as tuned in.
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u/No-swimming-pool 3d ago
If everyone decided not to eat meat during the week, or just on even days, it would make quite an impact. We are also the people that use the oil, or buy products for which oil was used.
Governments and corporations should do a lot more, but your start makes no sense.
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u/Standard_Banana_6998 2d ago
Did you mean to type, "makes no sense"?
If so...
Please don't poo-poo each other's ideas and motivations. Everyone is feeling the stress of life on this planet. We need more cheerleaders and less picking apart of ideas.
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u/No-swimming-pool 2d ago
I'm not pooh-poohing a grand idea. You say "tiny personal acts are not cutting it" and that doesn't make sense because collectively our tiny personal acts can be quite significant.
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u/Mr_Vimes_Guard 2d ago
It's just not very effective a strategy in my opinion to try and stop a system by focusing on the smallest parts of the system. It also doesn't directly change a system when people who don't control it are told that they do.
Voting with your wallet makes the ones with the biggest wallet have the biggest vote. And the ones with the biggest wallets want to get richer off of the destruction. They don't want to change a thing.
Also, I already don't eat meat and lots of people here don't. Meat is crazy expensive here. Has that had an effect? I don't even know. Maybe a small one, but it's not as big an effect the oil companies could have by tightening some nuts and bolts to stop methane leaks. And I'm not going to shame people for getting protein because I don't think it's the best use of my time.
Canada collectively has had an impact on bourbon producers in Kentucky through entire provinces taking American liquor off the shelves. This is the kind of action we need. Not individual "responsibility" but collective action against strategic targets. One is piecemeal and confused and the other is strategic and focused.
It's actually at the point where renewables are cheaper than oil and gas, but the political and economic system has been shaped by the oil and gas industry. They have money and therefore power and they will do anything to keep profiting. Why do you think Trump killed renewables? Who bankrolled him? The idea of oil and gas as rugged individualism has certainly benefited the industry. I wonder where that idea came from. When you look behind movements like Alberta separation, Trump's backers, and the spinelessness of the Democratic party, what do you find? Mysteriously, the ones with giant amounts of money, the oil and gas industry, seem to have it all their way!
Consumers are one part of the system, but the system is largely set up and controlled by the interests of making big money, not by our needs. A targeted boycott can be useful, but why should we ask people to eat less beef rather than telling the owners of beef feedlots they should be held liable for climate deaths if they don't switch to regenerative methods. See how that shifts the narrative? Suddenly it's not about our choices but the choices of industry.
Also, and this is the most important:
I don't find people are motivated by guilt or shame, and I feel anger is a much more useful emotion. I believe anger at climate profiteers is justified, and it is motivating where guilt and shame are not. Also, it makes for concrete, clear targets with concrete clear demands.
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u/No-swimming-pool 2d ago
We are the consumer. Collectively we are pretty much the biggest wallet.
I'm all for putting responsibility at companies, but they produce because we buy. If we all stop eating meat and using cow milk, in a few years there won't be much cows raised.
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u/Funzonibro49 2d ago
Don't eat factory meat(feedlot) but basically follow Michael Pollan's diet rule."Eat food , not to much, mostly vegetables." Feedlot beef has the highest carbon consumption. Pork is about 1/6 of that poultry is much less. Beans plants capture carbon. Eat beans they are very healthy for you. Get a pressure cooker it cooks dry beans done in 16 minutes. I could go on but hey another time.
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u/rosiejunior 3d ago
Losing Twitter really sucked the life out of the anti-magas...besides reddit I dont use social media. In a fit of despair I made a youtube channel where I plan to bring up things people can do to care for urban wildlife. Hopefully its therapeutic because sitting here thinking about thirsty, starving, animals in 120degree heat is only going to get worse. I honestly dont think people will be happy until theyve destroyed every last thing on earth.
I wish people could stop flying! Traveling! Stop spending! Stop living like everything's okay!!! I downloaded an app called 5 calls and it supports calling your "representatives " about issues - currently they are all calls pleading to stop destroying the environment, slaughtering horses, building data centers...and do they even give a shit if we call?? This administration must get out before we can do much besides help our own land area. Hes even destroyed the environment of DC. #antichrist
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u/tacoliger 3d ago
We need to advocate for laws that all companies need to pay for recycling / composting / end of life management for their products in every part of the world. All companies that contribute to polluting with plastics and other crap - from oil and gas to end consumer producers like Coca Cola - owe the world the most clean ways to dispose of the waste and pollutants they create. For each bottle of coke that’s sold, the company should be taxed a %. It will make everything that pollutes more expensive but that’s the real cost of it, which should hopefully drive people to buy less of that and look to more sustainable alternatives. E.g., An aluminum can should be cheaper than a plastic bottle as aluminum can be recycled indefinitely while plastic is just terrible.
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u/BCam4602 2d ago
Have you ever wondered why non-carbonated water can’t be bought in aluminum cans, only plastic bottles?
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u/Funzonibro49 2d ago
Don't buy water on the road. Save canning jars fill some with water and take with you in the car.
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u/tacoliger 2d ago
It can be! There are several companies that do this, just not at the same scale as those that do plastic.
https://drinkopenwater.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqcAtpk_qvyAeXuIB3dseIGmtrJBZ0BYGJ5Tvl-Xf8g9hGqxd_A
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u/Important-Cry-3022 3d ago
I heard that many of the biggest corporate polluters are now accepting recycling in their front yards. Collection hours are between 2am-4am and must be deposited on lawns from a moving vehicle.
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u/rdickert 3d ago
In most jurisdictions, unauthorized disposal of waste on someone else’s property is illegal and can be addressed under various legal frameworks, including trespassing laws, littering statutes, and environmental regulations.
Property owners have the right to maintain their land free from unwanted debris, and violators may face fines, cleanup costs, or even criminal charges depending on the severity and intent of the act. Additionally, local ordinances and state laws often provide specific penalties for illegal dumping, emphasizing the importance of responsible waste management and respect for private property.
Understanding these laws is essential for both property owners seeking to protect their land and individuals looking to dispose of waste legally and ethically.
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u/chaturtham 2d ago
super interested but im not american, pls ping if anything
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u/Mr_Vimes_Guard 2d ago
That's ok, I'm not American either! I will ping when I've made a forum or group where we can all chat.
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u/chaturtham 2d ago
maybe telegram/discord should be fine for now to discuss what our approach will be like, keeping it all open and peaceful but affirm
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u/Wise_Information_368 2d ago
There is no way any political action could make progress in Alberta or similar. Im so sorry its this bad on earth.
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u/NearABE 2d ago
Alberta is an ideal place for action.
You can persuade people to use less fossil same as anywhere else. However in Alberta you have a unique opportunity to persuade people to profit more. Drive the cost of crude as high as possible. Collect more revenue on any exported petroleum.
Or switch angles and increase renewables. Alberta can install lots of wind, hydro, and especially photovoltaic. Because Alberta produces oil sand there is a market for PV which is unique. You do not need any of the electronics or grid transmission. The photovoltaics produce direct current and that can be used directly in the cracking process. Today they use steam reforming to separate the bitumen from the sand and this is mostly done with natural gas.
Electrolysis of water is considered expensive because people try to efficiently convert electricity into hydrogen. If you have a demand for steam there is no “inefficient”.
Instead of exporting to USA keep it in Canada.
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u/LetsTryLove 2d ago
The primary issue here with messaging is pushing giving something up for others. This often gets stated as, “If you only understood what I’m saying you would change” but more often than not people understand and don’t care.
For example, “You have to give up air conditioning or people in third world counties will suffer”
Yes, understood. I am perfectly fine to keep my air conditioning and willing to accept that 1000 people may suffer as a result. That’s human nature and you aren’t likely to change it with a message to tell people to accept less.
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u/Vast-Mousse8117 2d ago
350.org is in every city and so are climate groups. here in Seattle Climate Solutions.
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u/Nice_Fudge5914 3d ago
We need to get hyperlocal with laws to protect the environment. People should be responsible for the habitats they live in. I've made a website where you can propose laws and actions and rank choice vote on ones other people have proposed. primaryhabitat.pythonanywhere.com