Beyond COP26: Anarchist Environmental Movements in a Time of Crisis

 

Global environmental movements have increased in number and have become more vocal in advocating for immediate action as the effects of climate change become more severe and undeniable. Anarchist groups, who are calling for a fundamental reform of the present economic and political structures that have resulted in ecological catastrophe, are among these movements. This essay will examine the global environmental movements and the anarchist resistance to climate change, including their strategies, means of support, and results.

The Anarchist Campaigns Against Global Warming: Anarchist organisations have long been involved in environmental conflicts, advocating direct action and decentralised decision-making as a means of upending established hierarchies of authority. They contest the notion that the government or businesses can effectively combat climate change, contending that these organisations are too enslaved to the pursuit of profit and too resistant to change. Instead, they support a bottom-up strategy that emphasises neighbourhood associations and grassroots organising.

The anti-fracking campaign in the United Kingdom is one example of anarchist environmental action. Direct actions have been organised by groups such as Reclaim the Power and Frack Off to stop fracking operations and raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by the practise. Deep Green Resistance and Earth First! have been in the forefront of direct action campaigns against pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure in the United States. To interrupt the work of companies and government agencies, these organisations frequently use methods such as blockades, tree-sits, and sabotage.

Environmental Movements: Anarchist environmental movements are widespread and do not just exist in the Global North. Communities in the Global South have been battling against economic exploitation and devastation for many years. For instance, the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico, has long fought for the rights of indigenous populations and the defence of the environment. The movement has built an independent governance structure that is based on regional decision-making and communal ownership of resources in order to oppose the encroachment of multinational businesses on their land and resources.

Similar to this, the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST) has spent more than 30 years promoting agricultural reform and sustainable land use methods. To advance a more equitable and sustainable agricultural system, the MST has planned land occupations, agroecological training, and other events. These movements serve as examples of how environmental battles in the Global South might be approached using anarchist ideals of decentralised decision-making and direct action.

Resources:

"Green Anarchy: An Anti-Civilization Journal of Theory and Action"

"Deep Green Resistance: Strategy to Save the Planet"

"Anarchism and Environmental Survival" by Graham Purchase

"Zapatistas: Rebellion from the Grassroots to the Global" by John Holloway

"The MST and the Struggle for Land and Power in Brazil" by Wendy Wolford