Generation Climate Change

Jul 29, 2019

Varshini Prakash, co-founder and executive director of the Sunrise Movement, dives deep into the youth-led climate activism landscape. She discusses how young people are reshaping political discourse around the climate crisis, highlighting the urgent call for collective action. Varshini shares insights on the movement's motto of ‘no permanent friends, no permanent enemies,’ the power of grassroots organizing, and how reframing climate solutions can focus on the benefits of economic opportunity. Their conversation also touches on the emotional complexities of activism and the hope that fuels the movement.

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ANECDOTE

Tsunami's Impact

Varshini Prakash's family is from Chennai, a place she deeply loves.
Witnessing the 2004 tsunami's devastation there sparked her activism.

insights

INSIGHT

Save Humanity, Not the Planet

Prakash believes climate change activism should focus on saving humanity.
She emphasizes that the planet will survive long after humans.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

First Climate Action

Prakash's first climate action was emceeing a demonstration in college.
This experience made her realize the power of collective action.

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Youth Empowerment in Climate Justice

01:39 • 24min

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Grassroots Awakening: The Climate Movement's Call to Action

25:16 • 17min

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Navigating Sensory Challenges in Daily Life

42:45 • 2min

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Navigating Political Landscapes for Climate Action

44:52 • 18min

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Reframing Climate Change: From Sacrifice to Opportunity

01:03:05 • 5min

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Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal

01:08:21 • 12min

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Singing for Solidarity: Hope and Leadership

01:20:06 • 12min

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Reflections on Human Resilience and Literature

01:32:06 • 6min

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This Is an Uprising

How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century

Paul Engler

Mark Engler

'This Is An Uprising' by Mark and Paul Engler examines the dynamics of social movements and momentum organizing. The book emphasizes the importance of building power, creating narratives, and mobilizing people to achieve social change. It explores various strategies and tactics used by successful movements, highlighting the role of leadership, organization, and collective action. The authors offer a framework for understanding movement ecologies and the different roles within a movement. The book provides valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand and participate in social movements.

How to Change

The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

Katy Milkman

In this ground-breaking book, Katy Milkman reveals a proven path to help readers move from where they are to where they want to be. Drawing on her original research and the work of her world-renowned scientific collaborators, Milkman shares strategic methods for identifying and overcoming common barriers to change, such as impulsivity, procrastination, and forgetfulness. The book offers innovative approaches like 'temptation bundling,' using timely reminders, and creating 'set-it-and-forget-it systems' to make change more achievable. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring solutions to specific roadblocks and using science to stack the deck in favor of successful change.

Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

Martin Luther King Jr

In this book, King provides a prophetic analysis of American race relations and the civil rights movement after a decade of significant efforts. He emphasizes the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing, and quality education. King critiques the 'Black Power' movement and separatist movements, advocating for an integrated society and the realization of justice through nonviolent means. The book also addresses broader societal issues such as poverty, racism, and militarism, calling for a shift from a 'thing'-oriented society to a 'person'-oriented society.

Tao te ching

Laozi

The Tao Te Ching is a central text in Taoist philosophy and religion. It consists of 81 brief chapters or sections that discuss the nature of the Tao, which is described as the source and ideal of all existence. The text emphasizes living in harmony with nature, the importance of simplicity, humility, and the interconnectedness of all things. It critiques unnatural actions and social activism based on abstract moralism, advocating for a life of 'nonaction' (wu wei) and spontaneity. The text has been highly influential in Chinese philosophy and has been translated numerous times, making it one of the most translated texts in world literature.

This is one of those episodes I want to put the hard sell on. It’s one of the most important conversations I’ve had on the show. The fact that it left me feeling better about the world rather than worse — that was shocking.

Varshini Prakash is co-founder and executive director of the Sunrise Movement. Sunrise is part of a new generation of youth-led climate-change movements that emerged out of the failure of the global political system to address the climate crisis. They’re the ones who made the Green New Deal a litmus test for 2020. They’re the reason there might be a climate debate. They’re the reason candidates’ climate plans have gotten so much more ambitious.

Behind these movements is the experience of coming of age in the era of climate crisis and the new approach to organizing birthed by that trauma. We also talk about Sunrise’s theory of organizing, why it’s a mistake to say you’re saving the planet when you’re saving humanity, Sunrise’s motto “no permanent friends, no permanent enemies,” the joys of organizing in the face of terrible odds, and, unexpectedly, the Tao Te Ching.

This is a conversation about climate change and about political organizing, but it’s also about finding agency amid despair. Don’t miss it.

Book recommendations:

Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community? by Martin Luther King Jr.

This Is an Uprising by Mark Engler and Paul Engler

Tao Te Ching by Laozi

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