We Can’t Tackle the Climate Crisis Without a Strong US Left
After all the disruptions of the past year, the threat of ecological breakdown still hangs over us. The US left is in a stronger position than it’s known for decades: now it needs to strengthen its internationalism and mobilize for effective climate action.
Organized by the Sunrise Movement, hundreds of young climate activists march to the White House in Washington, DC to demand that President Joe Biden work to make the Green New Deal into law on June 28, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
COVID-19 has dominated world politics for the last year, but the burgeoning climate crisis still casts a long shadow over the coming decades. What have we learned from the experience of the pandemic, and what are the prospects for real action to address the threat of ecological breakdown?
Bernie Sanders may have been defeated in the Democratic primaries, but the US left is still in a stronger position than it has known for many years. Protests for climate justice and against racism have mobilized huge numbers of people. Left activists need to build on those achievements, strengthen their internationalist perspective, and learn from the experience of movements in the Global South.
In a recent episode of Jacobin Radio’s Long Reads podcast, Daniel Finn spoke with political science professor and author Thea Riofrancos about the pandemic, the climate crisis, and the future of the US left.
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