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JTA – Our chances of averting climate catastrophe are narrowing to the point of no return, Top scientists have spoken out last week in a series of landmark reports put out by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Scientists from dozens of countries and disciplines say that the emission of greenhouse gases must be reduced and that the transition to a low-carbon economy must occur by 2025. Otherwise, civilization is at risk.
Dana Fisher is one of the many experts urging caution. She is a professor of sociology and the Director of the Program for Society and the Environment, University of Maryland. Fisher, inspired by her Jewish heritage, is also a member of the advisory board for the Dayenu, a Jewish climate advocacy group.
In her contribution to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment, Fisher examined how — and whether — ordinary people can make an impact on the problem through activism. While her insights may not make climate activists happy, they might be pleased with her insights.
Ahead of April 22’s Earth DayThe Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked Fisher for help in explaining her research and how Jews fit into climate activism story.
JTA: First, what is the IPCC exactly?
Fisher: The IPCC refers to this process of calling upon climate research for international policymaking.
The expectation behind it — and this is probably going to seem naive right now — was that if there was sufficient science, it would lead to good policymaking.
The IPCC keeps going strong, presenting the most recent scientific literature. The IPCC was originally focused on climate science. But here you are, a sociologe, participating in the sixth IPCC Report since 1990. Can you elaborate?
Climate change is a process that is changing the physical world, but it’s having a huge impact on society, affecting migration, refugees, and so forth. The part I contributed is called Working Group III. It is focused on mitigating global climate change.
I was brought in as what’s called a contributing author, which is the lowest level of author and we’re frequently brought in when a chapter’s authors recognize that something’s missing and needs to be added. I wrote about the impact of activism and civic involvement on addressing climate changes in terms of reducing carbon footprints, as well as urging governments to take action.
This July 22, 2017 file photo shows a polar bear climbing out of the water to walk on ice in the Franklin Strait, Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The Arctic is the location where climate change is most evident, according to climate scientists. It has dramatic sea ice loss and receding glaciers, melting Greenland Ice Sheet, and thawing Permafrost. Since 1988, the Arctic has warmed twice as fast than the rest of the globe. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
What do we know about activism’s impact on the effort to reduce carbon emission?
We don’t know enough about how to measure activism and its impact. Only a few studies have attempted to measure that. Most of them find that there is an effect, but there’s just so much more we need to know.
I almost don’t want to know whether “people power” can make a difference. Doesn’t it scare you to find out?
Yes, it is scary, although there’s some very, very hopeful evidence. I’ve been working with people trying to The Civilian Climate Corps is being built. How do we measure the impact of service work done by people to help the environment? I’m pretty hopeful that that kind of effort matters.
On the other hand, having a protest where a bunch of people take diesel buses and end up assembling somewhere and then take their diesel buses back, and then the Congress maybe listens, maybe doesn’t, but you get on CNN — the climate effects of that are pretty bad.
People join a protest rally at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, November 6, 2021. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP)
Some climate activists might not like this message.
I’m a bit of a data geek there, and I do believe that the data can set us free so I’m OK with it. Some activist groups might not be excited about the type of work I do. It will tell a better story, but it may also redirect tactics so that they don’t get too much media attention.
As a person who — however marginally — decides what gets media attention, I need examples. What’s a bad tactic that will get media attention and a good tactic that won’t?
There’s a big Extinction Rebellion mobilization happening this week. They hope to have 1,000 people arrested by week’s end. In and of itself, getting arrested is relatively resource-intensive, and it doesn’t have a positive effect on mitigating climate change.
There’s no evidence that if you get arrested for sitting down or locking yourself to a door of a building because the folks who work in that building extract fossil fuels, that will reduce carbon emissions from going into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, you can bring it to Dayenu Their efforts around PassoverThis is about shining a spotlight to make financial institutions comply with their climate commitments. People with such power can use what constituents care about, like American Jews, to pressure the economic interests to follow through on their climate commitments.
On October 29, 2021, thousands marched through Tel Aviv to demand that the government take action on climate change. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
OK, yes, let’s focus on Jews. We all know that the climate crisis is a key issue for Jews and that Jews have been active in the movement to address it. What do you think the reason is?
American Jews tend to be left-leaning, and this is a major issue for people on the left. We also have a history of stewardship and the idea of giving back to the land as well as helping others is a part of Jewish tradition. It makes sense that when science overwhelmingly tells us that we’re destroying the planet, Jews are going to stand up and try to do something about it.
What about the well-known existential angst among Jews? I’m thinking Holocaust, pogroms and Israeli history. Wouldn’t that be a factor in motivating Jews to care about our planet dying?
That would be a cool hook to get more Jews interested, but I don’t think people have internalized the message — if you went to your basic synagogue and asked people what the IPCC report says, I don’t think they would realize it means that we were like an endangered species.
Yet, Jews make up a very small percentage of the population. Why is their participation in the climate movement important?
As Jews, taking a stand is important for representation and when we think about building movements. I don’t want to call Jews low-hanging fruit here, but I would just say American Jews, because they tend to be more progressive and liberal-leaning, also are natural constituents for a movement.
Dayenu, however, has been involved in this multi-denominational alliance of progressive religious groups. So it makes sense that Jews should be represented there.
A rally was held in Tel Aviv to call for action against climate change on December 20, 2020 by an Israeli. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
How about your personal journey? Do you have any stories to share about your identity and how it influences your politics?
I was raised in a moderately conservative to reform family. We were very much like a typical progressive northeastern Jewish American family. My central focus was on my family. tzedakahIn a privileged manner, I guess a White-Privileged Way is how we should now think about it.
This background gave me the opportunity to consider how environmental concerns were built into my heritage. We tell the story of Exodus every year at Passover, and my cousin would link this story to the environment in amazing ways, such as with the Red Sea and the Jews who wandered in the desert for 40+ years.
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