In all the action trainings to stop runaway climate change I have been involved in, the atmosphere has changed. Taking action is no longer an exercise in finger-waggling and moral righteousness that this is simply 'the right thing to do' but something much more powerful and meaningful.
Being Homo Sapiens or “knowing humans” humans have a biological instinct deeply rooted to the survival mechanism of the organism which keeps us rationally interested in our self-interest. In the broadest sense of the word 'environmental action' is defending human life and human communities, rather than any one individual. As a species ourselves we are completely intertwined with the wider biological system we live on 'Earth'. If we were to appreciate our unbreakable bonds to other humans and the entire natural world, we'd be more likely to act in "self defence" when engaging in action for environmental justice.For more depth see Arne Naess.
For many, issues such as extinction, ocean floor trawling, and desertification,may appear too abstract to motivate people to step up when there are seemingly more day-to-day problems at hand. But if we were to look upon all living things as part—along with ourselves—of one "collective soul" we'd recognize the need to protect our entire eco-system. If we choke the lungs of the Planet we will only choke ourselves. If we strangle the Planet’s life system (of clean air, water and natural resources), we, as one of the recipients of these life systems, will only serve to strangle ourselves.
Relating to the elementary concerns of climate change, this workshop contributes to an understanding of how we can move from a small, personal sense of self to a broader ecological sense of self. Developing a mutually beneficial relationship with the wider natural environment can be significant in transforming our desires and giving strength in striving for justice. Creating an understanding of environmental action as self defence will strengthen individual and collective efforts in challenging oppression as well as feed into legislative processes which increasingly recognise the relationship between environmental justice and self defence.
