Authoritarianism and the Fossil Fuel Industry

Love, Justice and Climate Change

As a climate activist I have recently often wondered whether it was more important for me to focus on climate activism or to focus on combatting the rise of authoritarianism fostered by the Trump regime. Both are clearly vital. The stakes are extremely high with both issues.

On the one hand, we are not going to win on climate with the current authoritarian regime in place. Trump and his minions are eliminating incentives and permits for renewable energy; supporting dramatic increases in fossil fuel production and exports; eliminating the basis for any regulation of carbon emissions in power plants, industry, cars and trucks, etc.; denying the existence of the climate crisis; and ending the scientific work of collecting data and combatting global warming. They have decided to support the fossil fuel industry in letting the earth burn while they amass greater wealth and power at the expense of the welfare of life on this planet.

The cost of renewable energy has fallen dramatically in recent years and is now less expensive than fossil fuel energy in almost every case. The fossil fuel industry can only compete if it continues to gain these sorts of special subsidies and preferences through governmental action.

Take a Stand on All Fronts
We need to take a stand against the authoritarianism of the Trump regime in their cruelty to immigrants, ignoring of the constitution and the courts, their deadly climate actions; their increasing military rule; their brutal and foolish foreign policy; their threatening and harassment of those who oppose them; their cutting of basic services in order to reduce taxes on the rich; their targeting of many vulnerable populations; and their determination to undermine voting rights and the possibility of fair elections. We must oppose them on every front.

Take on the Fossil Fuel Industry
On the other hand, I don’t believe we can win on authoritarianism if we don’t take on the fossil fuel industry. The fossil fuel industry is not simply benefiting from authoritarianism, it is a major driver of the destruction of democracy in the United States and in other parts of the world. The industry requires governments that will put the industry’s profits and continued domination, and the use of fossil fuels, ahead of the needs and wishes of the people. The industry has put the full weight of its wealth, political power, and domination behind creating and maintaining the current authoritarian government in the U.S.

As the effects of global warming — droughts, floods, fires, sea-level rise, etc. — have become more severe, the general population is becoming more insistent that governments act to address the climate crisis. This has intensified the need of the fossil fuel industry for authoritarian governments that will do the bidding of the industry instead — governments they can control with their wealth and power, governments that are inherently corrupt.

Democracy and a powerful fossil fuel industry are incompatible
To put it another way, we cannot have a well-functioning democracy as long as we have a huge, powerful, wealthy fossil fuel industry completely dedicated to preventing the government from acting on behalf of the welfare of the people and the planet.

Let’s be clear that we do not simply need to better control and regulate the fossil fuel industry. In order to have a planet able to sustain human life and other species, the entire world must stop burning fossil fuels altogether.  This means we must first diminish, and then completely dismantle, the fossil fuel industry. We must within the next few decades completely eliminate one of the wealthiest, most powerful industries in the history of the world.

When There is No Alternative, We Move forward
This may seem to be an impossible task. However, there is no other alternative. If we continue to burn gas, oil, and coal, the resulting emissions will push global warming beyond survivable limits. As daunting as dismantling this industry seems, when there is no alternative, we must go all out to do it. We must unify and dedicate ourselves doing this absurdly difficult, but necessary task. Our love for all people, for the planet, and for the people of the future leaves us no other option.

How?
How do we dismantle one of the most powerful and destructive industries of all time?  We will need to keep figuring this out together. Below, is the best outline I can come up with now. These are all actions to take with other people, not as individuals.

(Let me note that we may take actions to reduce the carbon emissions we are personally responsible for through our individual lifestyles, but we must not prioritize such actions over the systemic actions listed below. Lowering our personal carbon emissions is necessary, but will never be sufficient to solve the problem. We must dismantle the fossil fuel industry that is rapidly hastening us toward global climate catastrophe.) 

Again, how?

First, we develop and elaborate an analysis (along the lines of the above) that describes the situation accurately and share it widely – educating the public. With a good analysis and putting ample money into professional public relations campaigns, I believe we can win the minds of a large majority of the people.

Secondly, we remember that this is a systemic problem and that systemic change is needed. We may take on small battles, but will choose the battles that will help move us in the direction of larger systemic change.

Thirdly, we oppose the industry in every way we can devise — blocking their building of pipelines, their access to new drilling, and the building of export terminals; opposing legislation and regulatory actions that subsidize and support any expansion or renewal of fossil fuels; and taxing their wealth, profits and/or extraction at ever increasingly high rates.

Fourth, we do everything we can to promote the adoption of renewable energy, focusing on changes that will affect many people — getting a green building code adopted in our home town, getting our states to require that all new construction be fossil fuel free, providing incentives for everyone to transition to carbon-free heating and cooling of homes and businesses, transportation, and industrial processes. If we are blocked at the federal level, we focus on state and local governments. The campaign to replace fossil fuels with clean renewable energy is not secondary to fighting fascism, it is at the center of the fight. It’s not the only thing we need to do to defeat authoritarianism, but it is central.

Fifth, we organize more and more people to participate in these campaigns, knowing that it may take years of building support to win on some of these issues.

Sixth, we support each other; link with others who may be different from ourselves; help each other release our pent-up frustrations, griefs, and despair through listening exchanges and caring; we build a vision of a society that works for everyone; and we center our love for this beautiful planet, people, and other species, and for future generations.

Russ Vernon-Jones was principal of Fort River School 1990-2008 and is currently a member of the Steering Committee of Climate Action Now-Western Massachusetts. He blogs regularly on climate justice at www.russvernonjones.org.