Guest Blog from 2020 or Bust – 

2020 or Bust is a nonprofit organization that seeks to end the climate crisis by helping people all over the world reduce their own personal carbon footprint. This blog is written by the organization’s executive director, Laughlin Artz. The forward is written by local 2020 or Bust organizer, Janis Bookout. 

Leadership is bigger than politics. Leadership is standing for what is possible for the world around us (at whatever scale we do that). Leaders honor that they are who they SAY they are and that they have a say in the outcomes.

I think it’s safe to say that in general, the environmental and environmental justice community is in shock at the reality of Donald Trump as president-elect. His decision to appoint climate skeptic Myron Ebell as head of his U.S. EPA transition team is a clear indication of his intent to dismantle current climate action.

As my 2020 or Bust director, Laughlin Artz, talks to leaders at the United Nations COP22 climate conference (which is happening right now in Marrakesh), it is becoming clearer and clearer just how devastating an unchecked Trump presidency will be for the impact of the Paris Agreement, and for the future of our species and all species on the planet.

In the last 24 hours, we have grieved the loss of an envisioned future and an imagined reality of sustainability and environmental justice. But the future has not happened yet. It does not exist. And what we give our word to and take action on shapes the future.

And, with all of that, it has never been more clear to me the opportunity each of us has to make a difference RIGHT NOW.

Just over a week ago, climate leaders from all over Central Texas met to align on leveraging our leadership. A second meeting is being scheduled for December 9th. We will not take this lying down.

And here is where you come in. Consider that you are a sleeping giant — that your stand for what is possible can make all the difference. And now, please read the following article offered by Laughlin Artz, director of 2020 or Bust.

Read the Original Article Here

The Day After

Having now been at COP22 (the UNFCCC annual global climate change conference) for two days, and being here now on the day after the US election, one thing is glaringly clear from a contextual perspective: People relate to government as where the real power lies.  A sense of paralysis and panic now hangs over the proceedings, as delegates and NGO’s assess the impact of a Trump presidency on their work.  As a colleague of mine said as we passed each other this morning “If the US goes anti-climate, all of this is for naught.”  

This I think brings us to the opportunity at hand.  And I don’t mean some “silver lining, let’s put a nice positive spin on the situation” opportunity.  I mean the hard fought “having looked squarely into the abyss and finding yourself and the path forward in what emerges” opportunity.  The opportunity born of the confront of the stark horror of the situation and not that of optimistic denial.

What got us into this mess is the notion that government is where the power lies, and that it is government’s job to make life good for us.  Neither of which were the case in the origins of government and which have slowly year by year crept into our consciousness, to the point where a Donald Trump becomes the answer.  And so it follows that as government-yielding compatriots, we are collectively in trouble.    

The opportunity, should we choose to seize it, the opportunity that is at the heart of 2020 or Bust, is to shift our collective context to one of power lies with the people.  It is the power of the individual, and individuals collectively aligned in vision and action, that is what makes the difference.  It is “we, the people” not “we, the governed” who will end the climate crisis. And who happens to be president is simply that – who happens to be president.  

This in no way ignores the serious problems that could be coming our way in the diplomatic and political arena to have as our president a man who denies climate change, who has vowed to extract the US from the Paris Agreement, and who has pledged to dismantle Obama’s climate change structures and legislation. All of that is to be faced and dealt with head on, and at the same time, not seen as deal-breakers.  If the road we choose is ours, of our own design, construction and navigation, then Trump and all he brings is simply a speed bump, not a brick wall.

Ending the climate crisis was never going to happen as a function of legislation, diplomacy or agreements. Those are all advantageous to have, they do make a difference, and those who have been at this grueling business of climate change for years and who have developed and ratified those agreements and legislation are to be appreciated for the incredible work they have done.  

What will end the crisis is action, not legislation, not governments, not diplomats, not conference rooms full of people in suits with badges around their necks.  But as long as we subscribe to the myth that that is what will end the crisis, as long as we sit back and relate to government as our keepers and saviors, then we are screwed.  Not by the facts, but by our own delusion.  

This can be a time of great awakening.  This can be a time of great power.  But only if we wake ourselves from the trance of codependency with our governments and realize that no one is going to make it better for us.  And they’re not supposed to.

The power is ours, the climate crisis is ours, the power to end it lies with you, with me, with us all.  Rather than mourning the day, let’s seize it!