Climate and environmental activists, alongside scientists, are intensifying efforts to ensure that the true costs of fossil fuels—both environmental and planetary—are reflected in their market prices. Their challenge is not to be underestimated, as they must contend with a political landscape that is rapidly stifling dissent and criminalizing protest. The urgency of their mission echoes historical warnings, such as those from philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, whose insights from 1762 remain relevant today.
In Australia, the situation is particularly alarming. Yet the Albanese government has just approved Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project to continue operating until 2070. From the perspective of climate advocates, this development could hardly be a more bitter pill to swallow. Activists and transportation policy analysts are outraged by this cancelation. They claim that it throws a wrench in the gears of the world’s efforts to combat climate change. Today Australia has gained infamy for its hammer tactics on climate protesters. In fact, more than 20 percent of these protests have seen arrests.
The Historical Context of Activism
Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideas have moved people to revolution across the world and centuries, from the French Revolution to the American revolutionary war. His assertion that “as soon as man can disobey with impunity, his disobedience becomes legitimate” reflects the sentiments of contemporary activists who feel compelled to take direct action in the face of governmental inaction on climate issues.
Rousseau’s work formed the basis for the development of liberalism, a political movement focused on protecting the rights and freedom of individuals. If anything, current political leaders have moved even further to normalize authoritarian practices. Thus, many activists worry that the foundations of liberal democracy are under threat. Rousseau highlights the connection between power and disobedience with his telling remark that “the might makes right.” This makes clear the continuing fight for marginalized voices to be heard over the power of entrenched interests.
While the ongoing climate crisis hasn’t skipped the line, it has created room for an extraordinary mobilization. It was recently published by researchers at the University of Bristol. What they concluded was that sovereign states are failing to meet their emissions reduction targets and international accords, raising the stakes and time horizons for local activism. This study highlights the importance of public pressure and civil society in keeping governments accountable.
The Escalating Criminalization of Protest
Though, as the Australian government’s recent measures against climate protests demonstrate, this is part of a global trend. Increasingly, political leaders from all parts of the world are turning to tactics to criminalize environmental activism—as a matter of public order. This entire hyperbolic rush to judgment places the lives of activists in mortal peril. As a consequence, Australia has the second highest rate of penalising climate protestors by arresting them.
Activists use an array of tactics to fight back against this repression. They use cutting-edge research, produce impressive reports and letters to politicians, use the courts effectively, help organize environmental protests, blockades and civil disobedience. Each of these strategies is designed to increase their message’s reach and momentum and call for a reevaluation of key aspects of fossil fuel price signals. Fossil fuel prices would need to triple if we factored in their real environmental harms, petrol, gas, coal. For starters, they would be exponentially higher than most market offerings today.
Australian climate analyst Ketan Joshi recently shared his frustrations in a highly readable piece for Crikey. He called out the systemic failure of governments to take meaningful action to combat climate change. He argues that as profits for fossil fuel companies remain mammoth, destruction of natural resources continues to accelerate. Joshi’s views will echo the sentiments of many who believe the political will to significantly address climate change is on the cutting room floor.
The Role of Technology and Information
Beyond in-person marches and lobbying, groups on the frontlines of this movement increasingly use technology to raise awareness and mobilize support. The internet has just as much transformed into a battleground where climate activists are courageously fighting, though they’re still having an uphill struggle. Misinformation campaigns and more targeted attacks have worked to discredit these groups and reduce public support for their missions.
The increase in what others have termed “tactical fatalism,” reflects something deeper and more alarming. That pessimism about the future is being exploited by those who would profit from keeping things just as they are. The idea that the worst outcomes are inescapable without significant systemic shift is a dangerous worldview. The fossil fuel industry, knowing full well of the destruction it wreaks, still bombs ahead, devastating the planet and caring little about the future.
Activists are adamant that we should be fighting against this mindset. Their work inspires bold communication on the harms of fossil fuels and the immediate consequences of failing to move towards an equitable, sustainable future. As this decade unfolds, more and more people are aware that all of these combined could lead to disastrous results unless substantial steps are taken immediately.
