Unified Goal on the Climate Webinar
Rough Transcript
The Situation Today with Climate Change
Janet: The worrying effects of climate change can now be felt more frequently and on a larger scale. It all started in the 1700s, when humans began adding larger amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Human activity has altered global climate patterns through burning fossil fuels , releasing chemicals into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of forest cover, rapid expansion of farming, development, and industrial activities.
To date, humanity has warmed the planet about 1.2 degrees Celsius.Eighteen of the 19 warmest years have occurred since 2001, and the last five years have been the five hottest years in recorded history. According to scientists and experts, the planet has only until 2030 to stop catastrophic climate change. We are already experiencing unbearable effects such as more heatwaves, hot summers, greater sea level rise and worse droughts and floods
Diane: We are in this situation because human distress recordings led to a global economic system that exploits people and the Earth for the benefit of a small minority. We can’t allow that to continue, it’s in conflict with our survival. We have to make big changes soon. We have the resources and knowledge to make the needed changes. People want a sustainable society, we want life, we want the continuation of our many species.
The governments, industries, and institutions supporting this economic system have lied to the people about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions (primarily CO2 and methane) for decades in order to maximize profit and keep the power they hold in this system. They have intentionally confused many people about the reality of the current situation. Those same forces now plan to continue the activities that cause emissions and temperature to rise. Instead we must work for a transition to renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.
Once emissions stop rising, global temperature will level off and begin to fall as we remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. This won’t reverse all the harmful effects, but our planet will be habitable.
One of our roles is to help people understand the climate crisis, and do that in a way that inspires them to join with us and others working to end it. We can communicate that we have time to make the needed changes if we move together and move quickly. We have rational proposals for change that can be implemented, and working together we can solve the yet unanswered questions.
Native & Indigenous, Global Majority, working class, poor people, and young people have the best understanding of the overall situation and how we can move forward. We will support and follow their leadership.
We have some very hard decades ahead of us. It is important to use our tools to fight discouragement. While it is a hard situation, our feelings about it are rooted in early hurts. We can face our fears and discharge them. We can discharge early isolation to stay connected. We are still alive. We can do this.
The Unified Goal
Janet: As the climate situation gets worse, one of the constant and important reminders has been not to do this work alone. After tons of work by RCers and leaders across the globe, the unified goal was adopted at the world conference. Every goal has a connection to this unified goal. The unified goal on climate has created a very solid guiding path to ensure we face the climate crisis together, that we are aware of how each constituency is affected by the climate crisis and what we have to face.
The goal talks of how transforming the current economic system is key to solving the climate crisis,and our role in interrupting irrational behavior coming from humans’ vulnerability to distress recordings. The goal is a good opportunity to challenge where we feel powerless and alone and commit to moving forward together.
Diane: The Unified Goal on the Climate acknowledges the urgency of the situation and encourages RCers everywhere to “throw ourselves at” the climate crisis. The time for action is now. It is a beautiful goal. It communicates so much about RC, who we are, what we care about, how much we will challenge ourselves to do right by all people. Adopting this Goal shows that we believe the RC Community can and will play a significant role in assuring the survival of our species, along with many others. The Goal communicates our understanding that the ongoing existence of humankind is at issue, and that we in RC will do everything we can so humanity continues.
This is our primary goal but not our only goal. We will continue and build the work on all the oppressions alongside fully taking up the work on climate. Our work is to build a united front to tackle the climate emergency and all oppression; a movement led by Native and Indigenous, Global Majority, poor, working class, and young people. It’s time for us to move using all that we’ve gained from our 70+ years of developing our theory and Communities.
Our work is also to communicate about discharge. Discharge is needed to bring about the future we are aiming for. While it is too late to counsel everyone to a rational position to solve this climate crisis, we can think and act on our thinking while continuing to build our Community and get our tools out to the world. In doing so it’s important that we show our humanness and our values, and create possibilities for discharge. We want to show it’s possible to care about each other, that other lives matter as much as our own, that we can act in the interest of all people, and that we can move together in a difficult situation.
If we can't get the powers that currently exist to be rational, and if we cannot replace them with rational leaders, (and we haven’t been able to) then we must bring together enough people demanding change that those in power feel that they have to give in to the changes we demand. This is our strategy. We don’t have the numbers to do this, but we are growing. The Goal encourages each of us to play an active role, as large and radical as necessary, and discharge whatever is in the way to join this effort. We will have to reach to people who are not yet with us–and most are reachable if we can be more flexible.
As we address the climate crisis, we will want to be strategic about the short term reforms we work toward so that they help us build communicate our understandings and the movements that are needed for bigger change. We are working not just to end the climate crisis, but also to go all the way to transforming our society into one where no one is oppressed or exploited.