Page 206 - Carbon Capitalism and Communication Confronting Climate Crisis

202 B. PALESE AND B. BREVINI

offers us a unique opportunity. If we can solve this as a world, it means we can
take on future challenges with new abilities and a global awareness of our
impact on the planet. But it starts now and every country needs to immedi-
ately begin the transition to to clean, renewable energy.
BB: Klein, in an interview for this volume, highlights possible solu-
tions for the lack of serious climate policy action. She mentions new
alliances and a growing global movement of indigenous people to
defend their lands. However, Donald Trump’s election as President of
the United States looks likely to strengthen the hand of both the fossil
fuel business interests and climate change sceptics. His pick to lead the
Environmental Protection Agency for example remains sceptical about
the need for urgent action on climate change. How should we respond?
BP: Let’s make no mistake, the Trump administration and global trend
toward inward-looking nationalism poses a strong threat to our climate
and other social justice issues. The next few years will challenge us, but
when our governments and laws fail to act in our best interests we have a
responsibility to step up and take action. To this end it is up to all of us to
support local action to forward progressive causes, including cli-
mate change action. There is some inspiring action happening at the state
and city level in many countries where citizens are taking action to put in
place a rapid move toward renewable energy. Globally, indigenous peoples
are standing up against the abuse of land and water that belongs to them
and we have to find ways to become good allies to these causes. It won’tbe
easy but buoyed by a clean energy industry that is now cheaper than fossil
fuels and a growing global movement building political power for climate
change action, we have to keep fighting during the Trump years.
BB: Environmental groups have rapidly embraced social media. You
are leading an organisation that runs climate-focused campaigns and,
reading from the website, “runs projects and actions led from the
bottom-up by people in 188 countries. Email is how 350 connects and
reaches out to our support base.” Do you think that social media has
brought new possibilities for environmental groups? Could you give
some examples? Do they also pose problems?
BP: 350.org was founded globally with a very ‘open source’ approach and
the use of digital outreach to bring people together in the most effective way
possible. Our first video used only numbers and graphics so that it could be
shown and used around the world in any language and culture. Using email