Paul Hawken, author, entrepreneur, and environmentalist, has spent over a decade researching organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice. In the video below, he talks at the 2006 Bioneers conference about how the largest movement in the world has come into being, and why no one saw it coming. Like nature itself, Hawken says, this movement is organizing from the bottom up, in every city, town, and culture, and it might be our salvation:
It is my belief that we are part of a movement that is greater and deeper and broader than we ourselves know or can know…It is nonviolent. It is grassroots. It has no cluster bombs, no armies, and no helicopters. It has no central ideology. A male vertebrate is not in charge….This unnamed movement is the most diverse movement the world has ever seen…It is global, classless, unquenchable, and tireless. The shared understanding is arising spontaneously from different economic sectors, cultures, regions, and cohorts. It is growing and spreading world wide without no exception. It has many roots but primarily the origins are indigenous cultures, and environmental and social justice movements…This is no longer or simply about resources, or infractions, or injustice. This is a civil rights movement, a human rights movement, this is a democracy movement. It is the coming world…We do not know how big this movement is. It is marked by kinship, community, and symbiosis…There is no precedent for what we are doing…This is the first time on earth that a powerful, non-ideological movement has arisen..During the span of the 20th century big ideologies dominated… “Ideologies stalk the earth clad in armour”… We were told that salvation would be found in the domination of a single system. This is where salvation will be found. We know that as biologists. We know that as community organizers. We know that as ecologists. Salvation is found in diversity. This movement is humanity’s immune response to resist and heal political disease, economic infection, and ecological corruption caused by ideologies… It is about possibilities and solutions. Humankind knows what to do.
More links:
Claiming Joy & Healing Amidst the Climate Emergency 
7 responses to “The Growing Movement to Address Climate Change: It’s About Human Rights and Democracy”
Well, that’s close to the truth. The AGW cult is about stealing wealth from the Civilized World and giving to the more feral quasi-nations. Then again, that’s the core of every Leftist-based idea and, like all of them, it’s deeply tainted by racism.
Well, it’s a good thing you don’t bring a biased world view with you as you blog surf, jonalon!
I’m White, American, and what you’d probably decide was wealthy. Do you not want to take the money I’ve earned and give to others in the name of AGW and “Social Justice” and are you not striving to do so through threat of violent coercion through the law’s fiat? How is that not theft? So where is the bias other than a bias towards the truth devoid of platitudes and lies?
White wealthy American – no wonder you feel threatened by human rights and democracy!
Jonolan,
Your wealth is not yours, even though it’s in your pocket. It won’t be yours until you earned it, and you won’t have earned it until you’ve cleaned up the mess you made earning it.
Simple.
A rule that applies to everybody, even the rich.
Ah yes, the classic Liberal mantra – your wealth isn’t really yours. You didn’t really earn it. Blah, blah, blah.
You didn’t earn it because you left your mess for somebody else to clean up. Truth, whether you say “blah blah blah” or not. Calling me a liberal means nothing, although I’m sure your friends think you’re quite a wag for using the term.