“…the average climate protest suffers from the fact that no single specific project directly endangers the climate….”
By Doug Sheridan
Doug Sheridan
Sigbert Gebert writes in NZZ,
the average climate protest suffers from the fact that no single specific project directly endangers the climate, that politicians do not deny the problem, and that the policies being protested are typically of little global significance.
Consequently, climate activists are doing exactly what they usually complain about—symbolic politics. Protests have quickly become routine, with protesters, police and politicians playing their well-rehearsed roles, which are only occasionally supplemented by new elements.
Protests are now a modern phenomenon, meeting the needs of social validation. Demonstrating is also fun, making heroic stories possible—especially when there are riots. The media coverage confirms one's presence at important events. This is particularly important for young people... and their identity formation.
But increasingly, climate protests make little difference. And any new society resulting from them is illusory. Still, seeing oneself as avant-garde has always been an attractive proposition of identity, and overestimating yourself in the process is inevitable. Actually solving the climate problem is at best a secondary consideration.
Global warming is about the science. The scientists issue their warnings and propose measures, but do not have to concern themselves with the political feasibility of their proposals. The climate protest movement, meanwhile, does not take the science as knowledge, but as certainty. They've no idea what the science is... but they know it's unassailable.
Hence the irritating self-assurance of climate activists who have no doubts about their mission. Just as the Marxist celebrates every economic crisis as the end of capitalism, every natural catastrophe is then seen as a sign of the "climate catastrophe."
To Sum It Up 1: The climate discussion has been going on for decades now, and it has produced little that is new. Thirty years ago, the destruction of the tropical forest was considered irreversible. For decades, in addition to technical strategies—efficiency, recycling, sustainability—has been demanded. Still, we wait.
To Sum It Up 2: Climate protests are symbolic politics—they will not save the world and will not shape a new society. Still, in certain circles, even if the protests remain without consequences, independent action and self-realization are confirmed—climate protest is an offer of identity... but little else.