Hot take: To beat climate change, America ‘must first break its addiction to fossil fuels and racism’ (and include Black Lives Matter)

Remember that giant migrant caravan that CNN’s Brian Stelter assured us was just something Fox News made up to scare white people? CNN did acknowledge the caravan, with the caveat that all of those people might have been climate refugees. Back in 2013, an amendment to a proposed immigration bill would have granted legal status to climate refugees, something Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought up again last year.

Well, we’re beyond climate refugees now, and the concern is shifting to the inherent racism of climate change.

“If America is ever going to ‘win’ on climate change, it must first break its addiction to fossil fuels and racism.”https://t.co/KjDGpXSYeG

— American Progress (@amprog) August 2, 2020

Mustafa Santiago Ali writes in The Guardian:

Let’s be clear: we got here because we turned a blind eye to the public health time bomb that has been exploding in our most vulnerable communities, and as a result we now have an equally dangerous climate bomb that is accelerated by fossil fuels, racially tinged transportation development and deforestation. Once again, our most vulnerable are most at risk.

…

If America is ever going to “win” on climate change, it must first break its addiction to fossil fuels and racism. Only then can it truly be great.

By the way, that “racially tinged transportation” bit links to a report claiming “transportation is one symptom of structural racism and this report focuses on strategies to address acute issues of transportation and breaking down long-standing inequities.” Not to mention, can you imagine what it must do to the psyche of a community to always be called “the most vulnerable”? Not very empowering, is it?

Environmental racism is not a thing.

— Eat my art (@danjdob) August 2, 2020

Jesus do you people ever give it a rest?

— Some Guy (@SomeGuy86402211) August 2, 2020

The left needs to end their racism of playing the race card in order to cause racial division.

— Scottergate (@Scottergate) August 2, 2020

That’s not even the only piece about climate change and systemic racism we’ve read in the last couple of weeks. TIME managed to work in Black Lives Matter:

“We can’t solve climate issues without talking about Black Lives Matter,” Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (@ayanaeliza) writes https://t.co/RbTu85bxzb

— TIME (@TIME) July 25, 2020

One is a Marxist movement and the other is a……Marxist movement.

Actually, she’s right.

— AdamInHTownTX (@AdamInHTownTX) July 25, 2020

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson writes:

The Black Lives Matter movement is not a distraction from saving the planet. We can’t solve the climate crisis without people of color, but we could probably solve it without racists.

…

If climate organizations fail to prioritize welcoming people of color, the movement will never grow large enough to succeed. Furthermore, people of color are significantly more concerned about climate change than white people are (49% of whites, 57% of Blacks, 69% of Latinx). That’s tens of millions of people of color in the U.S. who could be a major part of the solutions we need if unburdened by white supremacy.

So white supremacy in climate organizations is holding us back from “fixing” climate change?

Mother Earth has declared that until we defund the police there will be an increase in violent storms.

— Some Guy (@SomeGuy86402211) July 25, 2020

How BLM REALLY feels about the environment pic.twitter.com/kDCflKHOHe

— UnstoppaBill (@BillUnstoppa) July 25, 2020

And that was left behind by all the white “protesters” for Black Lives Matter in Portland.

BLM, solving climate issues one riot at a time. pic.twitter.com/VbkB4qBysj

— Mark Culham 🌐 (@mdculham) July 25, 2020

Absolute lunacy.

— Tom Garrard (@GarrardTom) July 25, 2020

We need to elevate more black leaders in India and China. When you have accomplished that get back to us.

— Tadpole Angel (@WithAxe) July 25, 2020

We all know climate change is the result of systemic racism, am I right guys?

— the count (@marketneutral77) July 25, 2020

BLM is all about burning down the very civilization which gives us the luxury and power to protect the environment. So, yes, we need to discuss how BLM is a climate threat.

— Adam Karnes (@AdamKarnes) July 25, 2020

The unscientific left strikes again. Why do they deny science?

— Ben Peterson (@jazzfan71) July 25, 2020

You guys aren’t even taking climate change seriously anymore, are you?

— My Friend Simulator (@my_simulator) July 25, 2020

So is this like a hoax multiplier???

— gasmd (@magaFTWdaily) July 25, 2020

Unbelievable. Just keep trying to tie those fake threads together. Pathetic

— ptown mob (@ptownmob) July 25, 2020

Your editorial board has to be the biggest group of idiots.

— USKI (@ColinUski) July 25, 2020

pic.twitter.com/mkA3pH42Dl

— Dan Molen (@DanMolen1) July 25, 2020

One scam at a time…

— Kevin (@Kevin88778908) July 25, 2020

Related:

‘Racist AF’: NY Times announces series on ‘what’s wrong with our public education system’ (Spoiler: It’s ‘Nice White Parents’) https://t.co/JJIb6cFoPP

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 23, 2020