Tuesday Thread: Ecofascism in the US

It’s been a terrifying week. Last Wednesday, at the US Capitol, we witnessed the most severe physical assault to our democracy since the Civil War, and the most violent attack on our nation’s capital since the war of 1812.

It’s more clear than ever, as we wrote here at The Phoenix: White nationalism gave us the climate emergency. We’ve got to confront this death flowering of hate in the forest of modern democracy with anti-racism, just as a master gardener would.

A few other climate writers made a similar argument (with better writing!) in the past few days, and I wanted to share their work here, too:

• The Big Oil Money Behind the Members of Congress Who Fueled the Capitol Attack, by Brian Kahn and Dhruv Mehrotra at Earther

• The antler guy isn't a climate activist. He's an eco-fascist, by Emily Atkin at HEATED

• Words Matter, by Mary Annaïse Heglar at HOT TAKE (subscription required)

Taken together, these articles point towards the meteoric rise of ecofascism in the United States, fueled by industries and politicians hellbent to keep their grip on the world economy at any cost. This horrific, dystopian response to the climate emergency is the antithesis of what we know we must build: An inclusive, thriving, ecological society that values and nourishes life in all its forms.

With the attack on the Capitol, we have glimpsed a shred of the terror that Black, Brown, Indigenous, and marginalized people around the world have felt for centuries when the cold calculus of imperialist capitalism has run their cost/benefit analysis and you end up on the short end. A better world is possible. And it’s going to be up to us to create it, together.

I wanted to give us a bit of space today to process all this together. Feel free to ask questions, share your fears, exchange tips on how best to pressure our leaders to take swift action in these crucial next few days – whatever you feel is useful.

Because “how are you?” isn’t a great question, maybe I’ll just ask: What could help to make you feel safer right now? How can we help create that safety together?