Climate Activism

April 3, 2020—Jewish Independent

There’s no silver bullet when it come to responding to the climate crisis, according to Tzeporah Berman.

The 25-year veteran of environmental activism and international program director for Stand.Earth said it needs a multi-pronged approach.

“A lot of people like to say it’s negotiations or policy work or protests, but in my experience the most effective campaigns that have made change have been the ones where there has been a diversity of tactics and approaches. The most effective initiatives are the ones that are not just about educating, but are about motivating people to take action on an issue…. What we need to try and do is motivate people to make change.”

In the 1990s, Berman was an organizer of the Clayoquot Sound logging protests that contributed to agreements to prevent clearcutting. Over 20 years later, as construction of the then-Kinder Morgan-owned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion ramped up, Berman participated in the sit-ins on Burnaby Mountain.

“The War in the Woods … it was this tipping point moment on the issues and Canadian history where people were engaged from all walks of life. Whether or not the rainforest should be clearcut was a conversation around everyone’s kitchen table. I think that’s true today of climate change and pipelines, that it’s one of these rare moments in history where it is a populist issue where everyone is engaged in the conversation, and I think that’s why you see in both circumstances such a diversity of people showing up.”

Last year, the concern reached a fever pitch in Canada and elsewhere, with unprecedented numbers of people marching in the streets calling for climate action.

The response from government has been slow. Asked what Berman thought of elected officials such as Justin Trudeau or Jagmeet Singh participating in marches like the September global climate strike that, at their heart, target leaders such as themselves to address climate change through policy decisions, she said she believes they show up with good intentions.

“We’re living in this strange moment where our elected officials are starting to understand the urgency and importance of climate change, but that is not yet translating into their policy proposals,” she said. “It’s like there’s a time lag and they’re saying the right words about urgency and joining marches, but their policies represent the best thinking on what climate policy should be from 10 years ago. I don’t think they’re being disingenuous when they join a protest … but one of the big problems that we have is that so many people believe that they’re doing enough and other people need to do more.

“We like to celebrate how progressive we are, but we have a very mixed record. Canada is among the worst in terms of G7 countries with our climate plan.”

Despite estimates of over one million people in Canada marching in climate strikes last year, Berman said the environmental movement is sorely outnumbered resource-wise in comparison to the oil and gas industry lobby. In a tweet sent at the beginning of the year, Berman spelled out 10 tips for successful activism. “Do stuff that makes the world respond. Don’t just respond to the world,” she wrote. She expanded, telling the Independent that advocates need to be sure they are the ones setting the agenda, not governments and corporations. “Campaigners and campaigns are not proactive enough, we just respond to what decision makers are doing.

“Instead of doing that, what if months before you looked at what you think needs to happen in order to protect the climate, our water, the air, produced a report with recommendations for policy, and then held a press conference and a public information night. Then you’re putting a proposal out there of what you think needs to happen in the world.”

In November, Berman presented to 400 people at Temple Sholom giving an overview of the scientific evidence of climate change and the role of nations and individuals moving forward. She spoke of the loss of the ‘culture of engagement.’

“Today we have a weak civil society engagement muscle and an overextended hyper consumer muscle,” she said during the presentation.

“We got lazy,” she explained to the Independent. “We live in a democracy, we kind of assume it’s functioning, and leave it up to the politicians…. I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but I think it’s a culture that was eroding over the last generation.

“Growing up, it was expected in our community that you volunteer – for your synagogue, for your church. We don’t really have that culture now and the result is we’re not engaging in our communities as much as I think we used to.

“I notice now that we’re starting to see it more as a result of the kind of more active student movements, but I think that’s because they’re scared.”

The role of community groups such as religious institutions should not be underestimated, she added. “People are going to be more willing to engage in the issues if they feel safe, if they feel a sense of common purpose, if they trust the people they’re organizing with. It’s one thing to hear scientists, or read an article. it’s a very different thing to sit down with people in your community … and organize. A lot of people right now are searching for what they can do. [Institutions] should be providing leadership and structure.”

Berman continues to be a leader in her own right. Late last year, she was awarded $2 million USD from the Climate Breakthrough Project to fund her efforts to limit new oil and gas development globally to align with the UN Paris Agreement goals of a safe climate. The project will be housed within Stand.Earth.

Published in The Jewish Independent (as Shelley Stein-Wotten).