A couple of days ago I read an op-ed by Jackie DesForges in the Los Angeles Times reflecting on the recent controversial actions of climate activists who have been throwing food at great works of art (all behind glass, btw) in order to bring attention to climate change.

It started in Paris in May when an activist smeared cake on the Mona Lisa's face. In June, two climate protesters glued their hands to the frame of a Vincent van Gogh painting. Then climate activists struck in various art galleries across England, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Australia. (full list here) Just today in Rome, activists threw vegetable soup at Van Gogh's The Sower (also behind glass, pictured above). Aside from minor damage to some of the frames, none of the paintings were harmed. 

Jackie writes in the LA Times, "I waver in thinking whether the act of throwing food at a painting is or isn’t insane, on practical and philosophical levels. But I feel strongly that the sentiment behind the act is spot on. I feel insane reading the news most days. I feel insane throwing my cans into the recycling bin, bringing my totes to the grocery store, wondering if any of it even makes a dent."

Although I don't condone the actions of the activists, I share their frustration and I do agree with Jackie that the current state of the world regarding climate change, and the lack of substantive action to combat it, is not only frustrating, but also enraging, and yes, makes many of us feel like the world is insane right now. 

So what do we do to advocate for the systemic changes that are necessary for a just and sustainable future world? Here are three ideas that I hope you will take to heart and put into practice in your own lives. 
 

SHOWING UP AND SPEAKING UP

Last week, TEDWomen 2022 convened as a global week-long virtual forum. There were many memorable ideas and stories shared during our virtual experience, and the interviews will be distributed on TED’s digital platform over the coming months. One conversation that I want to highlight here featured Chair of the Elders, former president of Ireland, and former UN Climate Envoy Mary Robinson in conversation with Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate. This cross-generational conversation between two women climate justice leaders, one from Europe and one from Africa, was powerful and inspiring.

Their full discussion, including Vanessa's ideas for the future she would like to see, will be live on TED.com next Thursday, Nov. 10. (I will share the link from my social media accounts so look out for that.) Vanessa's vision of what the world might look like if we take the actions necessary to fight climate change with intergenerational conversations and collaboration is one that I believe we can, by working together across generations and geographies, make happen.

Vanessa is just one great example of so many young women who have, I think, conclusively proven that you don't need to have platforms and power, or privilege, to make a difference in this world. All you need to do is to have the courage to speak up, speak out, and just keep doing it until governments and corporations respond with the policies that are so urgently needed to protect humanity's rights to clean water, breathable air, and sustainable and healthy ecosystems.

VOTE OUR VALUES

One of the interviews that is already on TED.com is a conversation I had with actor and activist Jane Fonda. Jane has made the climate crisis a personal priority. With her Fire Drill Fridays protests and virtual conversations in partnership with Greenpeace USA and the new Jane Fonda Climate PAC, she is on the front lines of the climate fight, just as she has been on the front lines so many times throughout her life and work, leading for women's rights, protesting violence, and fighting for freedoms and greater justice everywhere. 

This interview with Jane is a must-watch before the midterm elections in the U.S., and I'm so glad I can share it with all of you here. In this excerpt from our ‘live’ conversation, she explains her decision to bring her climate activism into the electoral arena after decades of marching, protesting and civil disobedience actions calling for change, and how all of us can become leaders when we vote our values.

FOLLOW THE NEWS AND TALK ABOUT IT

Next week at COP27, many urgent issues will be up for discussion, including making wealthy countries follow through on their promises to finance mitigation and adaptation in climate-vulnerable countries. They promised to deliver $100 billion per year starting in 2020 — and they still haven't. 

Another key issue — loss and damage — is something you will likely read a lot about in the next week. As we all know, the effects of climate change are already being felt by millions of people across the world. Just in the past few months, as bloggers at Global Citizen detailed recently: "A third of Pakistan underwater. Europe’s hottest summer in 500 years. Over a million displaced by the worst flooding Nigeria has ever seen. Droughts in the Horn of Africa. Wildfires in California. The need for bold climate action has never been greater."

To address these climate disasters, activists are calling for the establishment of additional funding mechanisms to address loss and damage for the communities on the frontlines, especially in the Global South. Leaders will be discussing this funding, as well as the need to double adaptation funding beginning in 2025. They will also be asked to come up with plans to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 or sooner, and to reinvest the subsidies in just and sustainable energy systems.

I believe we can and will meet this challenge. I’m counting on the global sisterhood, currently most adversely impacted by the climate crisis, to be the leaders speaking up, voting our values, and talking about the policies needed to shape a more equitable and sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

Onward!
- Pat

Join Jane today, November 4 at 11am PT / 2pm ET, for her Fire Drill Fridays LIVE show with Angel Darcourt from Working America and Hibba Meraay from the Analyst Institute. She’ll be discussing what we can each do in these final days before the election to get out the climate vote.

PS: Did you know Fire Drill Fridays is holding an in-person rally in Washington, D.C. on Friday, December 2? It's not too late to join us in the streets of our nation's capital to sound the alarm on the climate emergency.