Together we are powerful
Words by Jess Bineth | Gadigal Country
When it comes to taking action on climate change there’s a lot of mixed messages out there.
Recycle!
Don’t bother, most of it ends up in landfill anyway.
Use a KeepCup!
What difference will one coffee cup actually make?
Eat less meat!
It’s going to take a lot more than changing your diet to get us off the path of self-destruction.
If you’re anything like me, you take a few too many trips on this mind bending merry-go-round until you end up too dizzy and despairing to take any action at all. Which, given the state of things, is no good.
So, if you’re not a climate scientist or working for Greenpeace, is there anything you can do to curb the impacts of global warming? Absolutely. In fact, of all the lies that have been spread about climate change, perhaps the most harmful is that there is nothing you can do to help save the planet.
But if we’re talking about meaningful change, the answer lies less in the action we take as individuals and more about what we can achieve together.
In other words, to turn this ship around, it’s going to take collective action.
Here’s why.
Put simply, we live in a world that is shaped by multiple systems of power that overlap each other. Power derives from capital, but it also lies in collective action. Collective action is when a number of people work together to achieve a common objective.
Corporations are, by definition, a collective. They come together as shareholders and set agendas. These agendas are focused on retaining power through the generation of more capital, which is often in direct conflict with the health of the planet.
These efforts diminish a lot of the efforts we make in our personal lives– when it comes to greenhouse gases specifically, a hundred companies alone since 1988 are responsible for a whopping 71% of carbon emissions.
Crazy, right? But before you throw up your hands in hopelessness, know that this is how those folks sitting around boardroom tables want us to feel, lest we get any ideas about firing up, setting our own agendas and taking them on.
Which is exactly what needs to happen.
The scientific case for urgent action has never been more clear. The science tell us if we are to avert the worst impacts of climate change, we need to slash our emissions by 75% by 2030, and achieve net zero by 2035.
A transition of this scale and speed depends on how quickly we as a society can transform. And how quickly society transforms depends on how many people come together in movements large enough to demand it.
Which brings us back to collective action rooted in community – this is the most effective way we can counter the power of big corporations and therefore change the trajectory of global warming.
Framework for action developed by Sam La Rocca of the Sunrise Project, and Climate Action Network Australia, as part of a collaborative strategy process for what it would take to make progress in Australia on climate action.
So, how does collective action work and where do you fit in?
The key to collective action is organisation – it’s about individuals making the choice to work together to identify where power lies and coordinate, strategise and execute a sustained campaign that challenges that power.
Woah woah woah, I hear you say, this sounds like a lot of work. But the beauty of people power is you don’t have to do everything. You only need to pick a cause and do your bit. Big bit, small bit, it doesn’t really matter – what emerges from social organising is greater than the sum of its parts.
Just look around – our world is shaped by community driven action. Think of the war effort in the 1940s. Think of the women’s suffrage and abolitionist movements.
In fact, we are living through a time of unprecedented collectivism right now with the global community coming together in the face of the pandemic.
All this has been possible because at a certain point enough people decided to stand up and get out of their comfort zone. They prove how quickly change can occur when there is widespread solidarity and coordination.
So, does all this mean you should give up on composting and not bother with energy saving light bulbs? At this point the damage caused by global warming is immense and only mass movements have the power to alter the trajectory of the climate crisis.
But! And it's a big but. Besides the responsibility we have to be good custodians of this planet, there is an essential interplay between personal choices and systemic change.
Research looking at past social movement struggles, including overthrowing military dictatorships, shows that only 3.5% of a population needed to be highly active for that movement to win. What follows is a social avalanche – the zeitgeist shifts, norms change, and before you know it community campaigns accumulate enough power to make systemic change happen. And often, that starts with the changes you make in your personal life.
A safe climate future is entirely within reach. It just requires us to, you know, actually do something. So, what is that something? What can you do next?
Here’s a few ideas.
Start conversations. If what’s required is mass support and tipping points, talking about climate change is a powerful move. This means engaging with the news, thinking about how to communicate most effectively, pushing through awkward moments and practising deep listening. There are some great tips on how to have more productive climate conversations in this article.
Get involved. The opportunities are endless so don’t overthink it and just start doing. Pick a thing that’s important to you, contact a group doing good work in that space and let them know what kind of contribution you can make. Be it money, time or expertise, be honest about what you can afford to give and follow through. Some action groups to consider joining include 350.org, Seed and Australian Parents for Climate Action, or check out Climate Action Network Australia for a full list of groups working in the sector.
Order a sign to show your support for climate action. Join the movement to show Australia's politicians that a growing tide of people in our communities want to see the government step up and tackle climate change seriously by ordering a cost price sticker or sign today.
Start funding action. Climate action groups are incredibly underfunded with only 2-6% of Australian philanthropy going into the environment. Groundswell was created to help combat this by funding strategic, high-impact climate advocacy. Join our community and help build the political will for meaningful change.
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