There’s no doubt that we are living in scary and heightened times. Just as we know that climate grief and climate anxiety can take a very physical toll, so too can political news. So we encourage everyone to do what they need to ground themselves, process and channel anxiety, and rest up so they can keep on in our collective pursuit of justice. I hope as you read this you’re able to take a breath, and know you’re in community with us wherever you are. You can find resources and trainings for activist care and resilience here.
As we have seen dominating the headlines, this weekend there was an attempted assassination on the former U.S. President Trump that tragically killed a bystander, and also caused multiple injuries, including to Trump. 350.org condemns all forms of violence and mourn the loss of life.
We also continue to mourn lives lost to all forms of political violence, including genocide and ecocide.
We remain grounded in the knowledge that violence and destruction are at the crux of what we are fighting—the violence of a powerful few deciding that whole regions, whole populations, are expendable in the name of profit. That, and the decisions that system leads to, are also deadly. And we seek to end them and to usher in a better, more sustainable, renewable, and life-giving way.
The complex reality is that most political violence targets vulnerable and frontline communities, whether climate defenders in Colombia and Brazil, or folks resisting toxic pollution in the Gulf of Mexico. We recognize that there is inherent risk in championing justice. There is no getting around that, and U.S. political violence is likely to continue in the coming months.
This political violence is laying bare the contradictions in U.S. society right now. This is a country in which guns are considered more important than people, the Supreme Court believes it has the ability to legislate from the bench, and elected representatives deny electoral results and the reality of science. We are also facing the uncertainties of whether our nation’s leaders are able to lead.
The most powerful interests in the world would rather we cowered from the uncertainty and backed away. And that’s why we need to do the opposite. We need to keep calling out the corporate and governmental entities that perpetuate injustice.
So we continue to mobilize and to connect the dots both in the U.S. and globally. This month, we’re joining Summer of Heat in New York to push back on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). This week we also launch REPower Afrika to speed up the global shift away from fossil fuel projects like EACOP to distributed, community-owned renewable energy. Next month, 350 groups take action across the nation to hold utility companies accountable for price-gouging and refusing to transition to clean energy. And we know that over the next few months, thousands of us will encourage friends, neighbors and strangers to vote.
As we keep on in challenging times, it can be hard for any of us to assess where to place our energy. We vow to stay true to our mission, to move into action and provide opportunities for you to join and lead, and to stay nimble in our movement for intersectional climate justice.
In my Jewish faith, there is a verse that says “You are not obligated to finish the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” We need you.
Our team will be right there with you, sharing resources so you can assess risks and maximize safety, while urging us all to think about how we rise to this moment. In our own work and upcoming actions, we will plan for and maximize participant safety every way we can. We will also continue to offer virtual options for taking action from home.
I continue to have hope and to be buoyed by all of you. Our movement is strong and growing. There is a growing collective appetite for a just and more livable world.
Arundhati Roy reminds us, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
It might not be a quiet day, but she is still coming, waiting for us to usher her in. And at the precipice of deep, healing, systemic change, there is often upheaval. Our task is to make sure that the tide turns for the better. That’s why 350 was founded, and that’s why we continue with renewed resolve.
Find resources for activist care and resilience here, and stay tuned for more recommendations.
With grace and care,
Jeff Ordower
North America Director, 350.org