Audience: Frontline Communities

We’ve just wrapped up COP28 in Dubai. While there were a lot of great words about the need to decarbonize and reduce emissions (though pointedly not the words “phase-out”), it’s impossible to ignore the context of those grand statements: an international climate treaty conference located in a petrostate, presided over by an oil executive, overrun by fossil fuel lobbyists, and being used as the backdrop for still more oil and gas deals. Despite these structural barriers and some oddly patronizing attempts at pacification, climate advocates have made their voices heard at COP28, rejecting Dubai’s facade of decorum and business-as-usual.
It’s been a few years since we wrote a newsletter summarizing insights on fossil fuel fights* – so as we close out 2023 (and salute the hard-fought wins we’ve achieved this year!) let’s keep an eye on the fossil fuel front and explore some ways to respond.

My grandfather, Chester Barnett, grew up on a corn farm in southern Indiana in the early 1900s. He lived in rural communities for most of his life, including the tiny town of Yreka, CA where my Mom was raised. I thought about him (and my family’s “rural roots”) a lot when I was back in Indiana recently for a conference — which, in addition to lots of great discussions, included a tour of several “rural climate solutions” sites.

At the Lab, we believe that multiracial, cross-class (MRXC) coalition-building is essential if the climate movement is serious about tackling the climate crisis at the scale it demands. However, a historical lack of collaboration, trust, or healthy mechanisms to deal with conflict often impair these collective efforts. Our new Blueprint for a Multiracial, Cross-Class Climate Movement provides an analysis of the difficulties MRXC climate coalitions are likely to face and offers recommendations for a proposed path forward. Our intention is that these insights help advocates fighting for a livable climate and communities grounded in justice and shared prosperity.