Climate activism for these times: Bill McKibben and Kafia Ahmed

Where should climate activists focus their attention now, in these difficult and frightening times? How can we make fossil fuel companies stop polluting, when they show no signs of doing so? And what changes are making it easier for activists to gain traction? 

In this episode, we hear from Bill McKibben and Kafia Ahmed, who have years of activism experience and are deep thinkers about these issues.  And we hear about their efforts to bring together and maximise the impact of a  70-million strong pool of potential activists who have been overlooked for too long.

Bill and Kafia talk about dealing with misinformation campaigns, the need for incentives to encourage big polluters to cut their emissions, and the need for strong punitive measures for big polluters who don't stop polluting.

 And they discuss why so many companies have said they'll do the right thing on climate change, but have then backtracked.

 As Bill puts it: 'these guys operate out of fear, so one of the jobs of movements is to strike enough fear into them that they do the right thing'.

 Bill and Kafia also talk about Third Act, founded by Bill a few years ago, and headed by Kafia, which brings Americans aged over 60 into the climate change and social justice activism fold.

 As Kafia says, the members of Third Act aren't interested in just putting their feet up. "It's all about putting your feet on the ground and stomping towards justice."

 Or, as Bill puts it, Third Act members aren’t fighting for their future. But they are fighting for their legacy.

Bill is a hero in the climate movement, and one of the most influential figures in climate change activism. He is a prolific author on climate change, and played a key role in founding 350.org, the first global grassroots climate organisation. He has also played a leadership role in global fossil fuel divestment campaigns.

More recently Bill founded Third Act, which has grown to a network of more than 70,000 Americans in just a few years.

Kafia Ahmed is the chief executive of Third Act, and for almost 20 years she has been organising in communities on issues including climate change, housing, racial justice, immigration, gender-based violence, and prison reform. Kafia has worked extensively in both the US and East Africa.

You can find out about Third Act here https://thirdact.org. 

Bill and Kafia are currently closely involved in launching a major day of celebration of clean energy on September 21, called Sun Day. You can find more details here https://www.sunday.earth.