STRATEGISING FOR CLIMATE ACTION
Full minutes
Key points of meeting at London Action Resource Centre (LARC)
Sunday 9th December 2007
Approx 30 people present [but not everyone throughout - after all, we were starting at 10.30am on a Sunday morning after a post climate march party the night before!]
WHAT MAKES US DISTINCT WITHIN THE WIDER SPECTRUM OF GROUPS CAMPAIGNING ON CLIMATE CHANGE?
- Our 'systematic critique' of the problem: seeing the interconnectedness of environmental and social justice issues, recognition of capitalist economic growth
as the root cause of these. - Acting in accordance with our values: direct action / taking personal responsibility, non-hierarchical / participatory decision-making, sustainable
living. - Direct action as a way of both highlighting and confronting problems.
- This enables us to to say the unsayable, placing new issues on the agenda, opening up political space.
HOW DOES THIS HELP US DECIDE WHAT TO FOCUS ON?
Focus on playing to the above strengths!
HOW DO WE COMMUMICATE OUR RADICAL STANCE? HOW DO WE RECONCILE THAT RADICALISM WITH WANTING OUR VIEWPOINT TO BECOME THE MAINSTREAM (I.E. NOT TO REMAIN ON THE RADICAL FRINGE BUT TO 'WIN'?)
- Make sure our 'No' messages (i.e. what we oppose) are clearly linked to / balanced with 'Yes' messages (positive alternatives e.g. transition towns).
- Avoid being simplistically labelled e.g. 'anti-capitalist' - communicate with messages which are implicitly (rather than explicitly) 'anti-capitalist'.
- Adopt radical stances but then justify them as entirely reasonable. Argue that it is not us who are being radical, extremist, irrational, and that it is far more
irrational to advocate the status quo. (E.g. 'We are armed only with peer-reviewed
science').
SHOULD WE FOCUS ON INDIVIDUAL SECTORS (e.g. aviation, coal, biofuels) AND IF SO, WHICH SECTOR(S)? OR SHOULD WE BROADEN OUR PERSPECTIVE?
- Focusing on individual sectors is useful for now but our aim must be to broaden out.
- Local/regional groups could focus on sectors/issues which are particularly relevant in their areas.
