Interview with Nikkhil, a climate justice organizer in his 20’s.

What brought you into climate work and the climate movement?

Growing up in Florida, I witnessed the destruction of multiple hurricanes that hit my hometown. The increasing frequency and intensity of severe weather phenomena and the changes in climate patterns where I lived made me interested in learning about climate change in college. In college, I learned that systems of oppression, such as capitalism, are responsible for the climate crisis and that action around climate change should look like the dismantling of those systems.

I found it ironic that colleges advertise themselves as places where students learn to change the world for the better (solve poverty, etc), while simultaneously seeking to maximize profit at the expense of the Global South.  Why should we be paying large sums of money to learn how to solve the climate crisis from institutions that are directly investing that money into the very cause of climate change (such as the continued relevance of fossil fuels)?

I began organizing students to fight for my university’s endowment and pension funds to be divested from fossil fuel investments.

How would you describe your approach to organizing and mobilizing young people on climate?

I believe the key to dismantling systems of western dominance and control, which is directly responsible for the climate crisis, is to build a revolution. This revolution is essential for the people to take power away from the elite class that seeks to preserve profits over the health of people and the planet. The key to having a revolution is to have organized communities and workforces.

My approach to organizing young people is to meet them where they are. It is to understand what their experiences are and how that connects to climate change (climate change is connected to every other form of oppression, such as gender violence or worker exploitation).

Next, it is important to help young people (and people in general) understand that they have the power to fight against corporations polluting their communities or profiting off of their suffering. By empowering them to participate at various levels within a campaign, they see themselves more and more integrated into and a part of the campaign. This creates sustainable and lasting momentum/energy to fight long, complicated and expensive battles waged by corporations to maintain the status quo.

I think it’s important for young people to organize with the understanding that the government, corporations, or any entity seeking to preserve neoliberalism/capitalism/other systems of oppression do not care about people. They care about profit. This is why advocacy (or asking/begging those in power to commit to doing something about climate change) does not alter our collective material conditions. Historically, taking up arms, rioting, and other forms of  direct action that threaten profitability actually move the needle when it comes to achieving justice for the people. In other words, the youth can peacefully protest in the streets all they want, but the government does not care because a peaceful protest does not effectively target elite power. This is why building social power is important. Having strong social power means having enough people who strongly support the demands of a campaign organized and ready to do anything to get their demands met. Examples of this kind of organizing can be traced to the Black Panther Movement.

Do you see any differences in your approaches based on age? 

I think that Gen Z and millennials understand (and are more open to learning about) the issues facing our planet (but I think that other generations like to push action on the climate crisis onto Gen Z, as well). But, I think that class and race and sometimes gender have an impact on susceptibility to messaging. In my experience, white and/or wealthy students may understand climate change, but they do not act to stop it. In my opinion, white people and rich people are less impacted by climate change and are therefore less likely to take action on it.

Thinking back to before the pandemic, pre-March 2020 – what did you consider the most effective way to engage and mobilize young people on climate? 

I did not organize before the pandemic, so I would not be able to answer this question. However, I will say that the pandemic has taught me that our government does not care about us. It has taught me that we need to organize to support ourselves, without help from the government or corporations. Only we can protect ourselves.

Would you say you relied more on online organizing or in-person mobilization?

During the pandemic, online organizing was vital, but in my experience, hybrid meetings have been the most accessible and engaging for people.

During the pandemic, what were the primary ways that your organizing and your job changed? 

During the lockdown, everything was shifted online. I started organizing and learned how to organize online. More organizations where workers organize remotely began to come about. I also noticed that organizers from across the US and around the world could talk with one another easier because of Zoom. I also noticed an increase in corporate and government spying of online groups that were organizing.

After the lockdown was lifted, organizing has become more in person or hybrid. Many of us organizers feel that it is imperative that we wear masks in public as the pandemic is still ongoing (and we should not trust the government’s pro-business policies on COVID-19). A revolution cannot be built without a disability justice lens.

And do you feel that positively or negatively impacted your ability to achieve your goals? 

I feel that organizing online has not negatively impacted organizing abilities. In fact, it makes meetings more accessible and it has made it easier to organize national and international movements.

How has the transition to online organizing impacted your confidence in the movement’s effectiveness?  

The transition to online organizing has increased my confidence in the movement’s effectiveness. I believe that online organizing has connected many organizers across the US and around the world, allowing for international solidarity to be built quickly. Technology has allowed for the radicalization of many more people because organizing spaces have become much more accessible.

That being said, I think that the cost of technology has also hindered people who cannot afford laptops and phones from being able to access organizing spaces. This is why hybrid organizing is essential. It allows for people who don’t own expensive technology to be able to access organizing spaces.

Do you think it’s important to build a sense of collective efficacy or confidence among peers? How does that change with online organizing and activism?

It’s important to build trusting relationships with your comrades because trusting relationships are essential for achieving risky collective action, such as strikes. Online organizing and activism does not have a large impact on this because trust is built through sincerity, honesty, and solidarity. Trust is not exclusively an in-person phenomenon. It can be fostered in both environments.

Do you see any parallels between the ways in which the U.S. govt has handled Covid and the way that it could address climate change?

I think the US government has more allegiance to corporations than it does to its own people. Lobbying and campaign donations from pro-business groups have resulted in policy able-ist and racist policy output that has caused the deaths of millions of people globally. In the case of COVID-19, the US government has essentially caved to corporate interests, dispersing mass misinformation that the pandemic is over, all so capitalism can continue. The government has stopped paying for Covid vaccines, and for those who are uninsured, the prices of covid vaccines are unaffordable. The government has slowed down testing reporting for covid to make it seem like there is less covid, when in reality, we are in the middle of a massive spike of infections (but we can’t tell because there is not widespread data collection). The government has stopped mandating masks. This policy completely leaves behind immunocompromised people, who as a result of dropping the mask mandate, are more at risk of catching covid. The government does not care about its citizens. It cares about business and imperialism. Similarly, the government refuses to completely do away with fossil fuel drilling, production, and consumption. Instead, it delays action at every level of action on the climate crisis. This is because it caters more to businesses like fossil fuel companies than it does to its own people.

Similarly, do you see any parallels between the ways in which the U.S. public has handled covid and the way that it could address climate change?

The free-rider problem is commonly seen when it comes to both Covid and climate change. Where does this come from? American individualism, which stems from Reagan’s neoliberalism. Americans have been brainwashed by American culture to only think of themselves and not others. This is what makes collective action seem so hard. This is why we have free rider problems so much. People want to gain something out of doing something for someone else, but they don’t see they have anything to gain from masking or consuming less.

Additionally, the American public deals with its problems by consuming. COVID causes stress and anxiety. Americans have no one to support them so they turn to consumption  to fill the void. But consumption results in the perpetuation of capitalism as well as an increase in carbon emissions and pollution.

How do you feel about the Biden-Harris Administration’s approach to climate action, and any actions they’ve taken thus far?

The Biden-Harris Administration haven’t done shit on climate action. They are more concerned about power and ego than they are about their constituents.

How about Congress?

Same thing as above. Corporations and lobbyists are in the pockets of our Congresspeople.

How do you generally feel about the state of the youth climate movement and our prospects for progress? Are we moving in the right direction?

I think more people need to turn to controlled/principled/targeted violent direct action. Historically, it has been the only thing that has achieved any progress. Look at the Civil Rights Movement. Look at South Africa. Look at Palestine. People need to see that the US government does not care about them and it is a violent to every person except for rich white people.