this month i\u2019ve sat at my desk in the planet forward office in d.c., considering my hopes for this year\u2019s un climate conference in glasgow, as organizers from across the country gathered just down the street for climate gatherings and negotiations of their own. <\/p>\n
during the week of oct. 11, 655 people were arrested<\/a> in washington, d.c., while participating in indigenous-led \u201cpeople vs. fossil fuels\u201d demonstrations. organizers demanded<\/a> that president biden declare a climate emergency and cease approvals of new fossil fuel projects. indigenous activists occupied the bureau of indian affairs<\/a>, demanding 110 million acres of stolen land be restored to native nations. the d.c. chapter of the direct action group extinction rebellion tweeted<\/a> footage of an activist spraying the stairs of the chamber of commerce with an oil-like substance, alleging that the institution \u201cused its power for years to deny climate change.\u201d and on oct. 20, five young people announced they were going on a hunger strike<\/a> to demand that president biden meet his climate justice promises \u2013\u2013 and that the reconciliation bill be passed with provisions to cut u.s. emissions in half by 2030.<\/p>\n as a young person working in climate communication, i hear a lot of thoughtful conversations about how to convert climate change deniers into science believers. yet, when i learn about mobilizations like these, i don\u2019t see a cultural struggle for \u201chearts and minds,\u201d but a material struggle for power. and i wonder if by emphasizing the beliefs of individuals, rather than the heft possessed by institutions, we overlook a different strain of mistrust.<\/p>\n the united states has a record of climate denial \u2013\u2013 from the obvious (like president trump telling the secretary of california\u2019s natural resources agency, \u201ci don\u2019t think science knows, actually.\u201d) to the insidious (like big oil crafting curricula<\/a> to be taught in k-12 schools). yet, even here, 70% of the population believes that climate change is happening, according to this year\u2019s installment of \u201cclimate change in the american mind.\u201d<\/a> the survey even reports that a majority of americans, 60%, think that the trend of \u201cglobal warming\u201d is human caused! in 2020 the american people elected a president who avowed his belief in science on the campaign trail. he signified that belief by appointing a science advisor<\/a> to his cabinet. he even had the u.s. rejoin the paris climate agreement<\/a> \u2013\u2013 the international agreement reached at the 2015 u.n. climate conference, which the u.s. pulled out from under president trump.<\/p>\n so, why do climate activists persist? hasn\u2019t majority belief steered us away from the path of catastrophic warming? <\/p>\n not quite.<\/p>\n in september, u.n. climate change published a nationally determined contributions (ndc) synthesis report<\/a>; that is, a report that assessed the climate commitments<\/a> of each of the 191 nations signed on to the paris agreement. when evaluated in conjunction, these plans suggest a path to a roughly 16% increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 as compared to 2010. such a path leads to a global temperature increase of 2.7 degrees celsius by the end of the century \u2013\u2013 nearly twice the agreement\u2019s \u201cideal\u201d goal of 1.5 degrees c.<\/p>\n but the u.s.\u2019s science-believing leadership is holding the line to curb emissions, right? <\/p>\n well.<\/p>\n this may, the international energy agency published a report<\/a> finding that to travel the road toward net-zero emissions by 2050 \u2013\u2013 the road on which we have a chance of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees c \u2013\u2013 investment in \u201cnew fossil fuel supply projects\u201d needs to end now. yet, two months later, the associated press reported<\/a> that approvals for oil and gas permits on public lands were on track to reach year-end numbers unseen since george w. bush\u2019s presidency. despite biden\u2019s campaign promise to end new drilling on public land, the department of interior approved more than 2,100 permits to drill on public and tribal lands in the first six months of biden\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n protesting outside of the white house this month, veteran water protector joye braun<\/a> of the indigenous environmental network let the president know that his actions have not gone unnoticed.<\/p>\n \u201cyou made promises to the indigenous communities across this land that you were going to uphold,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cbut you haven\u2019t upheld those promises. you\u2019ve been speaking with a forked tongue, just like that one that was before you.\u201d<\/p>\n braun directed her words at president biden, but her meaning resonates beyond. nearly 70%<\/a> of young people say that governments can\u2019t be trusted, according to a recent survey<\/a> of 10,000 16- to 25-year-olds in 10 countries. across populations, 65% of young people said that governments\u2019 response to climate change is failing them. american youth\u2019s trust in government is the lowest of all.<\/p>\n leaders may believe science, but my generation doesn’t believe leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cbuild back better<\/a>. blah, blah, blah. green economy. blah blah blah. net zero by 2050. blah, blah, blah,\u201d greta thunberg said last month<\/a> at the youth4climate summit in italy. \u201cthis is all we hear from our so-called leaders. words that sound great but so far have not led to action. our hopes and ambitions drown in their empty promises.\u201d<\/p>\n these words may sound harsh, but to me they are a sign of optimism. climate organizers know that solutions exist, if those in power have the courage and creativity to implement them. progress is possible, but it\u2019s not guaranteed. <\/p>\n i am only 23, but i am old enough for the long line of inaction to hit me in cresting waves of deja vu. that tide engulfed me recently as i watched a clip<\/a> of american student anjali appadurai addressing leaders at cop17 on behalf of youth non-governmental organizations in 2011. ten years ago appadurai told leaders<\/a>, \u201cyou\u2019ve been negotiating all my life.\u201d ten years ago she said, \u201cyou\u2019ve failed to meet pledges, you\u2019ve missed targets, and you\u2019ve broken promises.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cthe international energy agency tells us we have five years until the window to avoid irreversible climate change closes,\u201d appadurai, then a student at the college of the atlantic, said. \u201cthe science tells us that we have five years maximum. you\u2019re saying, \u2018give us 10.\u2019 the most stark betrayal of your generation\u2019s responsibility to ours is that you call this \u2018ambition.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n those 10 years are up. the window to avoid irreversible damage has passed. the time for bold, decisive action has not. as i tune in to the events of cop26, i will be looking for something my peers and i can believe in. i\u2019m not talking about science. i\u2019m talking about leadership.<\/p>\n \u2014<\/p>\n about the author:<\/strong><\/p>\n victoria middleton is a writer, editor, and multimedia producer who serves as planet forward’s digital editor. victoria started at planet forward as an intern in the summer of 2019 \u2013\u2013 a semester before she completed her b.a. in journalism and mass communication and women\u2019s, gender, and sexuality studies \u2013\u2013 and stuck around to become a full-time member of the team. she’s most interested in stories that illuminate how climate connects to human elements of life, especially justice, labor, and food. though she loves doing media production work, her favorite part of working at planet forward is engaging with students, seeing them grow as storytellers, and growing along with them.<\/p>\n \u2014 <\/p>\n editor’s note: please check back every day, leading up to the beginning of cop26 on oct. 31, for new pieces from climate leaders in the planet forward network.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" the road to cop26 | you often hear conversations about how to convert climate change deniers into science believers. yet i don\u2019t see a cultural struggle for \u201chearts and minds,\u201d but a material struggle for power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9839,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4916,4899],"tags":[144,4588,4589,1635,2245],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate","category-policy","tag-climate-change","tag-cop26","tag-glasgow","tag-leadership","tag-youth"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n