Phil Radford
I will be proud to be there with them.
If you're coming to D.C. this weekend, you won't see your parents' environmental movement here on the Mall. The climate crisis has forged a new, diverse coalition of Americans who have seen the effects of our fossil fuel dependency and want no future with it.
Drought-stricken farmers in Iowa get it. Homeowners from the Jersey Shore get it. Eroding Alaskan native communities get it. Flooded families in New Orleans get it. They will all be part of thousands of people here on Sunday who get it—America's energy past is dead in the ground. Our energy future is in the air, with wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. The Keystone XL pipeline, which would bring dirty tar sands oil from Canada through the U.S. for export, will lead only to further darkness.
Millions of people around the country have lived the effects of climate change and now share this vision of the future. We all cheered President Obama's spirited call to action in his inaugural address—"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations"—and we hope he keeps his word. But we know that powerful interests want these words to simply be empty rhetoric.
Through the battles of Obama's first four years, progressive groups have learned what works and what doesn't in the fight against corporate power. Our labor, civil rights and environmental partners in the newly begun Democracy Initiative are determined to advance the progressive cause with shared vision. So while green groups fought hard for a climate bill in 2010 and lost, we learned valuable lessons that we can use along with the lessons other progressives learned in their victory with the health care bill. We all know we need public opinion, institutional advocacy, and, perhaps most importantly, grassroots-led peaceful protest to achieve any real change. This Forward on Climate rally is the first, significant step for progressive groups during Obama's second term, the next four years that may well prove to be the most important years we have had yet in the environmental movement.
Why? Because Obama's decision on the Keystone XL pipeline—along with Arctic drilling, coal exports, and the rest of the fossil fuel-based projects in his "all of the above" energy strategy—will determine whether or not the U.S. is locked into a climate death spiral or has a plausible way out. Letting the Keystone project go forward would be a clear, savage betrayal of our children and future generations. We can't let that happen, and we must let Obama know he will be held accountable.
Tar sands oil extraction is just one example of how far down the road we've let corporate power lead us while it pursued dirty energy profits at the planet's expense. For decades, most of America remained relatively oblivious to what was happening, but now that easy access to oil has gone the way of the dinosaur and billion dollar companies must go either to the ends of the earth or to the bowels of hell to get what's left, we're beginning to wake up. We're starting to realize oil companies won't stop until every last drop of fossil fuel is extracted and burned, a process that will destroy the rest of the planet if we don't make this change right now.
Thankfully, America has shown it's ready. This President's Day weekend, I hope you will join me and this new environmental movement in showing Obama that America honors leaders, not politicians. The president's legacy for future generations rests on the climate decisions he can make right now.
Visit EcoWatch’s KEYSTONE XL and CLIMATE CHANGE pages for more related news on this topic.
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!