My heart is heavy this week. The climate crisis is causing death and destruction across the globe — floods in Texas, North Carolina, China, Columbia, and Afghanistan; extreme heat in multiple continents; senseless wars and genocides — all continue in a somber and sad death march. Authoritarianism is more deeply entrenched across the USA and the contents of the legislation passed and signed by the President just before the 4th of July will cause great harm to people I love and consider family as well as set us back decades in the fight for environmental justice and climate mitigation and adaptation.
I feel like I have been writing about hope and resistance since I started at Climate Generation almost three years ago. And I have been finding it really hard to practice what I preach, what I know, these last few weeks.
And then last night, while doom scrolling on Instagram, I saw a post from @earthlyeducation. I was reminded that we need both to envision the world we actually want to live in, and then have practical strategies to fight for it. The post was a balm for my activated brain, body, and heart. So I share, directly quoting, from their post:
1. Speak truth with love
Start with your circles. Friends, family, workmates. Share the full reality of what’s happening without sugarcoating it. This system is violent and unsustainable. The goal is to wake people up, not with fear, but with clarity and care.
2. Use your gifts for resistance
Whatever you do, you have power. Whether you make music, build things, teach, or organize behind the scenes, your skills matter. Use them to support movements, challenge the status quo, or build alternatives rooted in justice and ecology.
3. Confront power directly
Power will not give up willingly. Join movements that are resisting fossil fuels, corporate greed, and settler-colonial violence. Disrupt the smooth flow of business as usual. Show up where it hurts them most, and don’t ask for permission.
4. Divest from destruction
Move your money out of institutions funding war, fossil fuels, factory farms, and deforestation. Ethical banks and credit unions exist. Every dollar you remove is one less fuelling collapse. Starve the beast wherever you can.
5. Join or build a collective
Collective power is our only hope. Join a climate, housing, indigenous, or justice group that aligns with your values. Or start one with others who are ready. You don’t need to be perfect, just present and willing to grow.
6. Live like capitalism is ending
Radically reduce consumption. Eat more plant-based. Grow and share food. Cut ties with fast fashion and hyper-consumerism. Build your life around regeneration, repair, care and mutual support. Be a living contradiction to this system.
7. Reclaim community and connection
The system wants us isolated and distracted. Fight that by building mutual aid, sharing skills, raising kids together, and restoring kinship with the more-than-human world.
Susan Phillips
Executive Director
Photo: Fabrice Florin
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