Which voices are heard in activism?
Shared Earth Learning joined the Green Healthy Future Frome conference last week.
At the conference, climate justice advocate Grace Maddrell gave a passionate speech about the urgent need for system change, asking which voices are heard in climate activism.
Grace said:
“An attitude where things affecting nature and green spaces are seen as completely disconnected from issues like poverty, equity and accessibility leads to a situation where something like a field will be prioritised over a low-income community, because the people advocating are disproportionately from privileged higher income areas. For example many people advocating against the building of social housing on fields and not necessarily weighing up the human cost that it could have to flat out reject affordable housing in order to preserve these places.
They're not coming up with viable alternatives for the people who need social housing and those who own land are not - say offering to give up a portion of that land for public use - I'm not here to offer an opinion or a solution on this particular issue nor am I attacking any specific individuals, who may be advocating in good faith, this is just an example of the damage that can potentially be done by not taking into account voices from communities that will be directly impacted.
The climate movement in Frome could be seen as a microcosm of much of the climate movement in privileged countries - where the discussions that get the most media attention are more likely to see the climate crisis as an isolated issue, rather than something that is connected to many other issues facing people today.
Climate change is often framed as an issue that began fairly recently or is an issue that isn't yet impacting us but for many people it's impacting them right now, and it has been for a long time.
Whilst many people in the uk perceive climate change as an issue that began over the last century or so, the roots of this crisis have been felt by many communities for much longer.
Nia, an indigenous climate activist based in Argentina writes in their essay for my book that “our house has been on fire for over 500 years since the beginning of the genocide that was and its colonialism in our lands”
But in the mainstream media and conversations even when it's acknowledged that the effects of the climate crisis are already being felt their history and roots are too often denied.”
Grace concluded "There can be no climate justice without social justice, and no social justice without system change."
Watch the full speech on youtube (uploaded with permission)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdf-iRNOLxU
The conference was hosted by Edventure: Frome, Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Council, at the Cheese and Grain.
A Green & Healthy Future for Frome wants to achieve a health and climate win-win. By exploring ways we can help local people to live lives which are good for their health and the planet.
This community-led initiative is based on the fact that these issues are firmly linked – if we improve one, we’ll also improve the other, enabling everyone to share in a better future.
