For several years now, I've been telling my students and random passers-by that environmental issues trumped all other political concerns. The degree and likelihood of disaster resulting from the environmental effects of global corporatism simply dwarf all other threats, now or in the past. (Nuclear weapons could have, still could, destroy us all, but the chances of a widespread nuclear war were always very low.) And I take it to be pretty obvious that governments are not going to respond seriously to the crisis. All in, I think there is a very good chance of global collapse within the lifetime of my child. And I don't think I can cruise into retirement not having tried to do anything about that, whatever the chances of success - which I suppose I deem to be low.
For the last couple years I have also been less engaged in activist work than I was for a long time. Got a bit burned out. Got a bit old and tired - not the same thing - and got focused more on writing. Well, enough of that, I guess.
So there's the decision: I'm getting back into activist work and I'm going to focus on radical environmentalism in some way. But that's a new area for me. I pay attention and comment on environmental issues, but my activist work has always been focused around either US imperialism - direct work against the Military-Industrial-University complex, resisting wars, solidarity with people suffering under US client regimes, etc. - or US social issues like LGBTQ...equality. (Not that there is no connection of course. Economic, military, and equality issues are obviously connected. But bringing those into environmental activism is not the same as bringing environmental concerns into anti-imperial activism.)
That means that I am coming at this relatively ignorant. I don't really know where to start. I need first to read a bunch. (I don't do activism without doing homework.) So, dear readers of the blog, would you give me suggestions of things to read? I don't need polemical books telling me that economic inequality screws the environment, or that things are bad. I am already on board. I need books that lay out detailed serious discussion of various issues - climate change for sure, but not only - geared to real possibilities for turning things around.
And then beyond that, I need suggestions for groups that are doing useful work. I'd like to find groups that are strategically serious, internally functional, globally focused, and radical. (It seems to me that all are necessary conditions on being a remotely serious intervention in this.) So if any of y'all are into that sort of thing, please toss out suggestions of organizations as well.
Apologies for using the blog for personal requests, but I hope there are others who are similiarly motivated, and that the suggestions will be useful to them as well. Thanks in advance for your help y'all.
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