Week 7 Reflections
Climate Justice, Digital Activism, and Gender, Prof. Frances Roberts-Gregory
By Cormac Madden, 3/20/2019
In "The Green New Deal, explained," David Roberts outlines the core principles of a new, radical policy that is gaining steady traction in the House and the public conscious. Per Roberts, these principles include a "Just Transition," a climate and justice energy justice ideal that was discussed earlier this semester; a decarbonization of the US economy, and a federal jobs guarantee. The Green New Deal was also discussed on episode 35 of the "Think 100% Podcast," "Green New Deal with Sunrise Movement." In that episode, three, young activists from Sunrise Movement, a group that is at the forefront of the push for the Green New Deal, provided background on and answered listener questions about their movement and the policy proposal. Their passion for their plans and for climate justice corresponded well with the ambitions of the podcast itself, as outlined in "Hip Hop Caucus Launches New Environmental Justice Podcast."
Other readings this week offered analyses and rebukes of the Trump administration's environmental policies. The "Science under President Trump" report showed the administration's perceived devaluation of the sciences per the opinions of federal scientists, while Dillon et al.'s "Environmental Data Justice and the Trump Administration" focuses on the importance of protecting environmental data and the public's right to it. The public accessibility of this data is crucial to both watchdog organizations and citizen scientists, in addition to the science community as a whole. These scientists then inform environmental campaigns, such as the ones detailed in "From Environmental Campaigns to Advancing the Public Dialog: Environmental Communication for Civic Engagement." In the article, Robert Brulle argues that mainstream environmental campaigns are ineffective in advancing their goals because they rely on identity campaigns rather than civic engagement. "Seeking Visibility in a Big Tent: Digital Communication and the People's Climate March," looks at these mainstream movements through a digital lens, analyzing the twitter usage of the march's organizers and participants.
Finally, a pamphlet from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice argues against the development of a new, cash-grabbing energy plant by the New Orleans' energy provider Entergy, a plant which would disproportionately burden lower-income residents.
I enjoyed listening to the Green New Deal episode of the "Think 100%" podcast, because it told the personal, behind-the-scenes stories of the leaders of a movement that I support and appreciate. I find the young activists of the Sunrise Movement to be incredibly powerful and exciting, and the progress that they have made in such a short period of time (as described in Roberts' piece) bodes well for the potential of their policies. As someone who chose to study Environmental Studies, I believe climate change to be a major and under-appreciated issue, and I am excited that effective, innovative policy is being pushed along so quickly and with such high approval. It was exciting to hear how each of the Sunrise Movement leaders' stories was different, and how one mirrored affirmations that have been heard throughout the course of how personal experience led to unexpected activism.
Key Terms
Green New Deal: a radical economic and environmental proposal that would create a green, just economy.
Environmental Data Justice: The belief that data about our environment should be protected and publicly accessible.
Sunrise Movement: a youth-led movement that is pushing for the installation of the Green New Deal.
References
Brulle, Robert 2010. "From Environmental Campaigns to Advancing the Public Dialog: Environmental Communication for Civic Engagement." Environmental Communication 4:1.
Byrd, Ayana 2018. "Hip Hop Caucus Launches New Environmental Justice
Podcast." https://www.colorlines.com/articles/hip-hop-caucus-launches-new-environmental-justice-podcast
Center for Science and Democracy 2018. "Science under President Trump: Voices of Scientists across 16 Federal Agencies."
Dillon, Lindsey, Dawn Walker, Nicholas Shapiro, et al 2017. "Environmental Data Justice and the Trump Administration: Reflections from the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative." Environmental Justice 10:6.
Roberts, David 2019. "The Green New Deal, explained." https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/21/18144138/green-new-deal-alexandria-ocasio-cortez
Hip Hop Caucus 2018. "Think 100% Podcast: Green New Deal with Sunrise Movement."
By Cormac Madden, 3/20/2019
In "The Green New Deal, explained," David Roberts outlines the core principles of a new, radical policy that is gaining steady traction in the House and the public conscious. Per Roberts, these principles include a "Just Transition," a climate and justice energy justice ideal that was discussed earlier this semester; a decarbonization of the US economy, and a federal jobs guarantee. The Green New Deal was also discussed on episode 35 of the "Think 100% Podcast," "Green New Deal with Sunrise Movement." In that episode, three, young activists from Sunrise Movement, a group that is at the forefront of the push for the Green New Deal, provided background on and answered listener questions about their movement and the policy proposal. Their passion for their plans and for climate justice corresponded well with the ambitions of the podcast itself, as outlined in "Hip Hop Caucus Launches New Environmental Justice Podcast."
Other readings this week offered analyses and rebukes of the Trump administration's environmental policies. The "Science under President Trump" report showed the administration's perceived devaluation of the sciences per the opinions of federal scientists, while Dillon et al.'s "Environmental Data Justice and the Trump Administration" focuses on the importance of protecting environmental data and the public's right to it. The public accessibility of this data is crucial to both watchdog organizations and citizen scientists, in addition to the science community as a whole. These scientists then inform environmental campaigns, such as the ones detailed in "From Environmental Campaigns to Advancing the Public Dialog: Environmental Communication for Civic Engagement." In the article, Robert Brulle argues that mainstream environmental campaigns are ineffective in advancing their goals because they rely on identity campaigns rather than civic engagement. "Seeking Visibility in a Big Tent: Digital Communication and the People's Climate March," looks at these mainstream movements through a digital lens, analyzing the twitter usage of the march's organizers and participants.
Finally, a pamphlet from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice argues against the development of a new, cash-grabbing energy plant by the New Orleans' energy provider Entergy, a plant which would disproportionately burden lower-income residents.
I enjoyed listening to the Green New Deal episode of the "Think 100%" podcast, because it told the personal, behind-the-scenes stories of the leaders of a movement that I support and appreciate. I find the young activists of the Sunrise Movement to be incredibly powerful and exciting, and the progress that they have made in such a short period of time (as described in Roberts' piece) bodes well for the potential of their policies. As someone who chose to study Environmental Studies, I believe climate change to be a major and under-appreciated issue, and I am excited that effective, innovative policy is being pushed along so quickly and with such high approval. It was exciting to hear how each of the Sunrise Movement leaders' stories was different, and how one mirrored affirmations that have been heard throughout the course of how personal experience led to unexpected activism.
Key Terms
Green New Deal: a radical economic and environmental proposal that would create a green, just economy.
Environmental Data Justice: The belief that data about our environment should be protected and publicly accessible.
Sunrise Movement: a youth-led movement that is pushing for the installation of the Green New Deal.
References
Brulle, Robert 2010. "From Environmental Campaigns to Advancing the Public Dialog: Environmental Communication for Civic Engagement." Environmental Communication 4:1.
Byrd, Ayana 2018. "Hip Hop Caucus Launches New Environmental Justice
Podcast." https://www.colorlines.com/articles/hip-hop-caucus-launches-new-environmental-justice-podcast
Center for Science and Democracy 2018. "Science under President Trump: Voices of Scientists across 16 Federal Agencies."
Dillon, Lindsey, Dawn Walker, Nicholas Shapiro, et al 2017. "Environmental Data Justice and the Trump Administration: Reflections from the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative." Environmental Justice 10:6.
Roberts, David 2019. "The Green New Deal, explained." https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/21/18144138/green-new-deal-alexandria-ocasio-cortez
Hip Hop Caucus 2018. "Think 100% Podcast: Green New Deal with Sunrise Movement."
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