Extreme heat, the physical manifestation of oppression. The tangible product of humanity’s disregard for its own survival. I feel like I’m wearing an uncomfortably warm layer all the time, like a fossil fuel executive has me wrapped up in a crushing, violating embrace. A corporate-sponsored assault on our bodies, our rights, our future.
“It’s not that bad,” say some, mainly those from hot countries or those trying out what we do as people: deny, deny, deny.
Maybe they mean, it’s not that bad compared to what others are experiencing. I live near a hospital. I hear the ambulance sirens all day. Another heatstroke, another heart attack exacerbated by oil and gas.
For the chronically ill, the pregnant, the hospitalised and the elderly, for the low-income families stuck in tiny attic flats and the workers who must choose to burn outside to make a living, it is that bad. For much of the Global South, it has been that bad for far longer.
Maybe they mean, not that bad yet. Don’t expend your energy on complaining now. The social media headlines say ‘This is the coldest summer for the rest of your lives!’ That’s not quite true either. But who can think in nuance when they haven’t slept a full night for weeks?
I got a surge of followers to this newsletter in the last month after posting the list of jobhunting resources, and the guest post for Grace Blakeley. I kept thinking I should write some big inspiring welcome, full of positivity, and then feeling stressed that my brain was not delivering the right words.
But of course my brain is slower right now. We’re all tired, and eco-anxious, and heat reduces your cognitive skills. When you’re feeling the violence of the fossil fuel economy in your own home, it’s hard to think about anything but making it stop now.
But it is very difficult to mobilise and get involved in system change when we’re exhausted. I, and I suspect many of you, are trying to push through our normal workdays with our normal level of output, and then scrolling headlines and social media posts about the apocalyptic heat and all its knock-on impacts. Maybe that 15th reel will make it all feel OK. Our nervous system is in overdrive before we’ve even begun. It drives fatalistic thinking.
Overwhelm is the tactic of the richest polluters and far-right, and they’ve even turned the weather against us. I would argue that climate disasters and extreme temperatures are an example of the ‘shock and awe’ tactic being used by fossil fuel companies and the governments that sustain them. They can’t control the weather, it’s true, but knowing about the environmental and health impacts of fossil fuels and continuing to do so is violent. And it serves the double purpose of keeping us so busy coping with the heatwaves, wildfires, floods and cost of living that we have less energy to tackle the root causes.
Those who have lived at the frontlines of the climate crisis do not have the privilege of fatalism or ‘giving up.’
To make change fast in these conditions, we have to slow down. We have to become more focused with our organising, and with the information we consume.
And remember that we do this for each other. It matters to the outdoor workers to call for workplace temperature regulations. It matters to the elderly and the sick to help them cool down this week. Everything matters. We are ecosystems and our survival relies on our interdependence.
Sudan’s maternity wards reopen, bringing hope amid war struggles.
Europe recorded 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave.
Why oil companies are profiting as the world gets dangerously hot.
People underestimate other’s support for climate action around the world.
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In Brussels, we collaborated with independent vegan business Taylor’s Cafe to host a feminist rage session for ABCD (Anyone But Cis Dudes). Everyone shared their reasons for rage while making a collage. Here are some of the results, and we also shared our wrap-up on Instagram.
What do you think - will you join the next one?
Massive list of resources for finding a job in the climate and social justice sector
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Jul 2
When I first wrote this list of job-hunting resources four (!) years ago, I prefaced it by saying that having a positive impact is not exclusively a career choice. Regardless of our jobs, we always have the opportunity to reject the capitalist and neoliberal mentality that glorifies overwork, hustle culture, and sees others as competition.
For the third year running, we held our climate picnic in Parc Royale in Brussels, and for the third year running, you showed up! Literally no agenda here, we just think this movement is more sustainable when we hang out in parks sometimes too. Photos and wrap-up on Instagram and LinkedIn.
What events shall we bring back for the autumn?
LEARN SOMETHING
Cooling tips for hot weather, also for people with disabilities.
The ‘Solidarity Is’ training for emerging activist leaders is open for applications until the 19th July.
Join this online webinar on taxing fossil fuels by Generation Climate Europe on the 22nd July.
DO SOMETHING
UNESCO’s Youth Intercultural Leadership Program is open for applications until the 19th July.
UK: Join the movement to demand workplace regulations for extreme heat.
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