This Changes Everything

this_changes_everything

This Changes Everything

Last night Do The Green Thing attended a sell out Guardian Live event at Westminster Central Hall chaired by Guardian columnist Owen Jones. Two thousand people diligently gathered on a wet Monday evening to listen to acclaimed journalist Naomi Klein, author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine. The topic, her new book This Changes Everything: Climate vs Capitalism, a game changing environmentalist call to action against capitalism.

In a refreshing change to the practised climate change doom and gloom, Klein and Jones instilled action and optimism into every point they made. Despite the gravity of the current situation, which Klein made sure not to downplay, the overarching message was one of opportunity, viable progress, and above all, urgency.

Klein unpacked complex scientific climate change arguments, leaving the audience no space to hide behind ignorance-based inaction. Through her research, Klein argued that emissions needs to be cut by 8-10% each year to stop a globally detrimental rise in temperature. There was no sugar coating to be had here, in order to do this a life altering change needs to be made, and society’s well oiled routine will have to take the hit.

Klein argued that taking on climate change presents a great opportunity for a new justice based agenda, not a system dictated by companies earning billions off the back of fossil fuels. This will require unity because, “the only way to beat people who have a huge amount to lose is to gather many more people who have much more to gain”. This is a fight that needs to be taken up by everyone through popular education, community action and increased investment in the public sector.

There is an ever-expanding host of reasons why climate change isn’t the most pressing issue on the cards, but the buck does stop with us. Our resources are finite and radical change is necessary to protect what is left. There is great work already being done, and it needs to be taken onto a larger scale. Klein’s closing statement urged us to put pressure on the political systems that dictate the areas that can effect most change. Although the final words were not a specific how to, it was clear that Klein believes that the only way forward is if we unite.

Here are a couple of ways to get involved:

Global Frackdown 11th October

Campaign to fix or scrap TTIP