Mikaela Loach on fighting the climate crisis through social justice, the problem with net zero, and being a 'soft Black girl'
Oct 20, 2023
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Climate activist Mikaela Loach discusses the need for climate justice, the problems with net zero, and the intersection between the climate crisis and the conflict in Israel and Palestine. She also talks about her background, her activism as a teenager, and the importance of building networks and trust for climate action.
The climate crisis should be understood through the lens of social inequality, and addressing root causes requires reframing our understanding and taking collective action.
Direct action, such as targeting fossil fuel infrastructure and financial disruption, plays a crucial role in pressuring companies and governments to address the climate crisis.
Deep dives
The Importance of Being Soft
Michaela Loach discusses her identity as a 'soft black girl' and challenges the notion that resilience is synonymous with hardness. She advocates for remaining soft in the face of oppression and using vulnerability as a form of strength.
Intersections of Climate Justice
Loach explains how the climate crisis is intricately connected to other social justice issues, such as anti-racism, feminism, ethical fashion, wealth inequality, and migrant rights. She argues that these systems of oppression are at the root of the climate crisis and must be addressed together to bring about meaningful change.
Importance of Direct Action
Loach discusses the role of direct action in the climate movement and how it can disrupt the status quo. While acknowledging that it may not always be popular, she emphasizes the need for strategic targeting of fossil fuel infrastructure and financial disruption to pressure companies and governments.
Shifting Paradigms for Climate Solutions
Loach critiques the concept of net zero, highlighting its potential reliance on unproven technologies like carbon capture and storage. She calls for prioritizing emissions reduction and systemic change, rather than seeking false solutions that allow continued extraction of fossil fuels.
The climate crisis is the biggest single issue affecting us all - but for some, the impact will be, and already is, far greater than for others.
This is the principle of climate justice, that sees the causes and consequences of climate change as inextricably linked with social inequality - and that activist Mikaela Loach has made the focus of her work.
Today on Ways to Change the World, Mikaela Loach tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy why we need to reframe our understanding of the climate crisis in order to tackle its root causes, and why only through “active hope” and collective action can we radically transform our world for the better.
Produced by Silvia Maresca
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