Politics and Society

The failure to act to avert the worst of both climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic was not accidental nor preordained. These policy failures are the result of specific political ideologies and worldviews that prioritize catering to the wealthy and increasing corporate profits over protecting public health and preserving our environment for future generations. Inaction and denial of the seriousness of these crises may seem irrational, but this is part of a conscious strategy to obfuscate, sow confusion, and protect the political and economic interests of the status quo.

Intentional political isolationism via the sabotaging of international agreements, like the Paris Agreement, and governing bodies, like the World Health Organization, is part of a conscious strategy to protect the political interests of fossil fuel companies and those seeking to profit from the pandemic. While the global challenges we face require more cooperation and collaboration than ever before, the delegitimization and dismantling of international agreements and groups endangers our attempts to solve these crises.

Politics and Our Environment

The degradation of our ecosystems is directly connected to both climate change and the increasing emergence of pandemics resulting from zoonotic diseases. Unfortunately, in most places, nature and ecosystems lack political protection. Protecting the natural world from the destructive impacts of regressive political and economic policies is of paramount importance.

The ecosystems we rely upon to help us regulate our climate are under dire threat from governments, corporations, and politicians acting in concert to extract as much value from them as they can. For example, public lands are where we find the majority of remaining intact forests, wetlands, and other vital ecosystems. Yet these public lands have been increasingly opened up for energy exploration by the Trump administration; they have used their political power to revoke protections for threatened species and roll back environmental regulations that once restrained the worst industrial practices.

Moving Forward

There are a variety of ways we can advocate for changes to our dysfunctional political system. Interventions can be as simple as voting in local and national elections, or as complex as organizing a union within our workplace. Whatever our particular strategy, we should prioritize shifting power from established political and economic elites to those who have been traditionally marginalized and excluded. The solutions we need to solve or mitigate crises like COVID-19 and climate change are more likely to materialize through a process of collaboration and knowledge-sharing that includes all segments of society.

Empowering women and girls and creating space for them to take on more leadership and decision-making roles is a crucial component of addressing the climate crisis, which has had a disproportionate impact on women and girls.

…I have been astounded at the continuity of the stories of the women and girls I’ve reported on who are today’s climate justice leaders. Their stories often begin with a debilitating fear of the climate crisis of the oil company where they live, the politician controlling their fate, fear for the health of their children and for what the future may bring. They describe overcoming this fear through action, joining together in broad social movements, they've achieved tangible solutions, which gives them hope, and a new vision for the future, one that is free of fossil fuels.

— Author, journalist, and activist Antonia Juhasz

The concept of “environmental personhood” is something that should be explored as a tactic to protect sensitive and vital ecosystems. In New Zealand, India, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the United States, interesting progress has been made towards granting legal status to ecosystems like rivers and national parks. Legal personhood for nature and ecosystems has also been used as a strategy to thwart corporate exploitation, despoilment, and destruction.

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