The way environmental justice feels so isolated from other forms of justice pisses me off.

Rising temperatures effect the global South more than anyone. Oil pipelines and their spills effect Indigenous communities the most. The pollution from fast fashion is dumped in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Bombings like that in Ghazza are causing wild spikes in emissions (and this point is used so that white people may start to care, which sucks, and conservationists still aren't mentioning the Palestinian genocide). The Hawa'ii fires?? The flooding in Brazil right now and previously so Pakistan and so many other places?? Heatwaves. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Hurricanes. Typhoons. Who do you see being effected by these the most, really? Don't even get me started on how """green technology""" uses slave labor from Congo, whose people and CHILDREN are being forced to mine for battery materials. And nobody—particularly and especially institutions—who fights for the environment ever really mentions this stuff. Because they care more about securing this sanitized idea of climate activism that tries to work with capitalism rather than focusing on intersectionality and solidarty and fighting the system causing the problems.

White and other priveleged people honestly only really care about environmental justice because it has the potential to harm them too. Either that or they feel bad for animals that are more palatable to them than actual people, as mentioned in a prev post I rbed. It's part of the "humans are the virus" eco-fashy sentiment that is frustratingly pervasive. I have been persuaded by that thinking in the past. It's possible to stop it, and you must stop it in yourself. You can care about animals obviously but don't forget people.

My point is. The movement of environmental justice is SO focused on the global North/the West/whatever else u wanna call colonial powers. We have to change that. Care about the people in "far away" countries who are being effected by climate change. Care about people of color and poor people in your communities effected by these things. Care about indigenous people worldwide. Fight for them. Listen to them. And fight against the ruling class that marginalizes and oppresses them. Everyone needs an Earth without colonial & capitalist caused environmental disaster.

Solarpunk Sunday Suggestion:

Visit your local university solidarity encampment

"No climate justice on occupied land"

They did it??? They actually fucking did it???

THIS IS AMAZING

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

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Begging everyone to stop asking this rhetorical question and, instead, demand our elected officials do something about it

Golf Courses ARE Being Converted

The Solarpunk "fantasy" that so many of us tout as a dream vision, converting golf courses into ecological wonderlands, is being implemented across the USA according to this NYT article!

The article covers courses in Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Colorado, and New York that are being bought and turned into habitat and hiking trails.

The article goes more into detail about how sand traps are being turned into sand boxes for kids, endangered local species are being planted, rocks for owl habitat are being installed, and that as these courses become wilder, they are creating more areas for biodiversity to thrive.

Most of the courses in transition are being bought by Local Land Trusts. Apparently the supply of golf courses in the USA is way over the demand, and many have been shut down since the early 2000s. While many are bought up and paved over, land Trusts have been able to buy several and turn them into what the communities want: public areas for people and wildlife. It does make a point to say that not every hold course location lends itself well to habitat for animals (but that doesn't mean it wouldn't make great housing!)

So lets be excited by the fact that people we don't even know about are working on the solutions we love to see! Turning a private space that needs thousands of gallons of water and fertilizer into an ecologically oriented public space is the future I want to see! I can say when I used to work in water conservation, we were getting a lot of clients that were golf courses that were interested in cutting their resource input, and they ended up planting a lot of natives! So even the golf courses that still operate could be making an effort.

So what I'd encourage you to do is see if there's any land or community trusts in your area, and see if you can get involved! Maybe even look into how to start one in your community! Through land trusts it's not always golf course conversions, but community gardens, solar fields, disaster adaptation, or low cost housing! (Here's a link to the first locator I found, but that doesn't mean if something isn't on here it doesn't exist in your area, do some digging!)

More about the project:

Credit for the tik tok:

posting the shit that would get the canadian federal police looking through my twitter profile again

Teach kids about climate change. Encourage friends and family to talk about it. Get involved with them. From now for the rest of our lives, we need to nurture deep ecological connections and ecological wealth.

-qbv

It’s solar and wind and tidal and geothermal and hydropower.

It’s plant-based diets and regenerative livestock farming and insect protein and lab-grown meat.

It’s electric cars and reliable public transit and decreasing how far and how often we travel.

It’s growing your own vegetables and community gardens and vertical farms and supporting local producers.

It’s rewilding the countryside and greening cities.

It’s getting people active and improving disabled access.

It’s making your own clothes and buying or swapping sustainable stuff with your neighbours.

It’s the right to repair and reducing consumption in the first place.

It’s greater land rights for the commons and indigenous peoples and creating protected areas.

It’s radical, drastic change and community consensus.

It’s labour rights and less work.

It’s science and arts.

It’s theoretical academic thought and concrete practical action.

It’s signing petitions and campaigning and protesting and civil disobedience.

It’s sailboats and zeppelins.

It’s the speculative and the possible.

It’s raising living standards and curbing consumerism.

It’s global and local.

It’s me and you.

Climate solutions look different for everyone, and we all have something to offer.

I am once again at a loss for words. From @/ democracynow [@/ JoshuaPHill on X. 12/22/23.] [Image description: "Satellite imagery shows Israel's razing of Gaza agricultural land." A 'before' picture shows an aerial picture of lush green fields and areas of healthy crops, as well as the location of a greenhouse. An 'after,' photo shows an aerial view of a completely desolate land -there are no crops, no greenhouse, and no greenery.]

Breaking news from Panama! 🟢

In a historic vote, the nation’s highest court today ruled the Minera Panamá mining contract for an open-pit mine unconstitutional, marking a WIN for biodiversity, local communities, and our planet. Panama has an opportunity now to be a leader in safeguarding precious ecosystems and protecting biodiversity. This ruling champions the rights, voices, and well-being of local communities over profit-driven interests. This victory is also a beacon of hope for our planet’s future. Safeguarding irreplaceable ecosystems like these is critical to combatting climate change and biodiversity loss. Congratulations to the people of Panama, who overwhelmingly rejected profit over planet. We continue to stand with you! Video credits: Collaboration between @duletvindigena @waguafilms @mullu.tv & Passu Creative Community Indigenous Protester - TV indígena and waguafilms Great Green Macaw - Hans Norelius, CC BY 2.0 Gemini's Dart Frog Jaime Culebras / @photowildlifetours #PanamaTeQuieroVerde #PanamáValeMásSinMinería

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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Make them pay