11c. The Peace Movement Response

The Canadian Encyclopedia has a very simple definition for the Environmental Movement: it “seeks to protect the natural world and promote sustainable living.”¹ Explore this timeline of the movement in Canada: Environmental Movement.

It goes back over 100 years to profile the work of early conservationists and the establishment of national parks. It provides a sense of the numerous issues under the environmental umbrella.

One of the first modern-day individuals in the west to sound the alarm about the planet was Rachel Carson, who wrote an influential book called Silent Spring in 1962. She is described as the “fountainhead of the modern environmental movement.”² A biologist and writer, already in the 1950s Carson investigated the harmful impact of synthetic chemicals on the environment, initially the insecticide DDT (now mostly banned). The title of her book referred to the idea of a spring without birds singing – a predicted outcome of the elimination of insects as their food source. The book became a bestseller, however Carson was attacked by chemical companies who tried to discredit her message. Nevertheless, her ideas led the way to greater government controls on pesticide production and use, and to policies that protect the environment.

Carson made the link between the environment and conflict in the midst of Cold War politics. Here is just one of her quotes:

It is one of the ironies of our times that, while concentrating on the defense of our country against enemies from without, we should be so heedless of those who would destroy it from within.³

There were many other early leaders of the environmental movement, some of whom are still active today. Canadians often first think of David Suzuki, whose television program The Nature of Things has been broadcast for over 40 years in over 50 countries (2020). Along with promoting knowledge, appreciation, and sustainability of the natural world, in the latter part of his career Suzuki became outspoken on the climate change crisis. 

The environmental movement includes so many different issues and specific goals, organizational and individual responses, and diverse methods and tactics. We will examine just a few in this course.

Greenpeace

In Module 9 on the anti-nuclear movement, you were briefly introduced to the organization Greenpeace, which originated in the early 1970s when a group of activists protested nuclear weapons testing off the coast of Alaska. Their concerns were about the use of such weaponry in a global conflict, but even more so about the impact on the environment of weapons testing. When the group set sail towards the Arctic Ocean, they described their action as “A trip for life, and for peace.” One of the founders, Irving Stone, explained their ship’s name, which became the organization’s name:

We call our ship the Greenpeace because that's the best name we can think of to join the two great issues of our times, the survival of our environment and the peace of the world. We do not consider ourselves to be radicals. We are conservatives, who insist upon conserving the environment for our children and future generations. If there are radicals in this story, they are the fanatical technocrats who believe they have the power to play with this world like an infinitely fascinating toy.⁴

Towards the end of the 20th century, Greenpeace was probably the world’s most visible environmental organization. By 2019 they had offices in 55 countries. The environmental issues of concern to Greenpeace changed and multiplied over time. While initially they opposed nuclear testing, other agenda included campaigns against the following:

• commercial whaling;
• oil pipelines and tar sands development;
• destruction of rain forests and deforestation more broadly;
• over-fishing of tuna;
• genetically modified organisms, especially in food;
• hunting of endangered species and destruction of habitats; and
• food waste and over-consumption.

 

The reading “Greenpeace's Campaign Strategies” in Peace Magazine describes Greenpeace’s three campaign strategies: direct action; political lobbying; and public education and awareness. Their initial strategy was drawn from Quaker ideas about “bearing witness” – which is about taking action based on personal responsibility and conscience to respond to situations of conflict. While acts of civil disobedience are often part of their activism, Greenpeace is committed to nonviolent direct action. Nevertheless, their tactics and methods might be considered extreme and are sometimes controversial. They are certainly dramatic.

Watch these videos and note the environmental cause addressed in each case. And observe the tactics they use.

2010

2014

How did these make you feel about well-loved candy and toys? I confess I (course author) have not been able to eat a KitKat since I first saw the Greenpeace ad. You should know that Lego is no longer in partnership with Shell, in part because of the negative publicity the popular toymaker received in response to Greenpeace’s campaign.

A more recent campaign, in Canada, has seen Greenpeace activists stand with Indigenous peoples against the Trans Mountain Pipeline that will transport crude oil from the tar sands of northern Alberta through British Columbia to be loaded onto oil tankers in the Pacific Ocean. Environmentalists view this as a danger to the environment, especially if there are accidents, and a threat to Indigenous livelihoods. They also oppose growth of oil production and export generally because the use such fossil fuels promotes climate change.

In this action, activists bring attention to their message by trying to stop an oil tanker moving through Burrard Inlet in Vancouver.

As of winter 2020, legal challenges to the Canadian government’s decision to approve the pipeline expansion have failed. This campaign is an important example of where peace activists unite with Indigenous peoples to protect and save the environment. They view this partnership as an effort to address the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) – another form of peace movement activity.

Greenpeace continues to be controversial. One of the founders left the organization because he felt that the ‘peace’ in Greenpeace was gone. As a scientist, he believed that the Greenpeace message had lost touch with science and instead was based on “sensationalism, misinformation, and fear.”⁵ Nevertheless, their campaigns do bring attention and education to numerous issues regarding threats to the environment.

Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement

Dr. Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) was one of the most interesting and inspiring environmentalists in recent history. Beginning in her home country of Kenya, she initiated a grassroots movement to plant trees as a method to counter climate change. Another important goal of this project was to empower rural women whose livelihoods were threatened by soil erosion, drought, and deforestation. What became known as The Green Belt Movement officially began in 1977.

Coming from a rural background, Maathai nevertheless became the first woman in Central and East Africa to earn a doctoral degree. As a biologist, she understood the importance of trees to the land, the air, and the water supply in her country. She also realized that rural farming woman experienced deforestation most acutely: the loss of trees led to soil erosion which lowered crop yields; the shrinking of forests meant a decline in the supply of firewood for cooking; and scarcity of firewood led to a change in cooking methods and diets which sometimes led to malnutrition. And so, she launched this initiative for women (and men) to plant trees to counter the negative environmental consequences of deforestation.

As of 2020, the Green Belt Movement had planted 51 million trees in Kenya, and the strategy had spread to many other countries, especially in Africa.

Maathai’s initiatives extended to cities as well, as she campaigned to preserve urban green spaces such as Uhuru Park, the only park in Nairobi. When she and others protested a proposed skyscraper development in the park – a project of Kenya’s dictator-president – she was beaten and arrested. Several years later, she and other mothers gathered in the park to demand the release of their sons who were imprisoned for demanding democratic rights. This activism is reminiscent of the Mothers of the Disappeared that you learned about in a previous module. Later on, the Freedom Corner was created in the park to commemorate Maathai and other women activists.

Some features of the Movement include:

• linked history of colonialism in Africa with the present problems of environmental degradation – soil erosion, deforestation, loss of traditional agricultural methods;
• raised up the role of rural women in creating peace with the environment;
• reinforced democracy in a society that had many economic and political inequalities;
• connected local and global issues (somewhat like Gandhi).

The reading “Peace Profile” by Keturah Scott provides more insight into the interconnections between peace, environment, development, democracy, and gender within this movement.

In 2004, Wangari Maathai became the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Some people questioned the award, wondering how planting trees could prevent wars. However, in its citation the Nobel committee said, “Peace on Earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment.”⁶ Upon receiving her award, Maathai challenged people “to think holistically. Think of many conflicts – conflicts within your area, far away from your area and far away from your country – and ask yourself: Why are those people fighting? Almost every war is over access and control of resources.”

Hear it from Maathai herself in this interview where she talks about the “puzzle” of peace: Wangari Maathai Interview (it is 35 minutes long but you can view just the first 3:25 minutes).

How does this fit our understanding of a peace movement? I think that Green Belt’s stated agenda of “environmental conservation, democracy, community empowerment and conflict resolution”⁷ fits our framework well. Again, Maathai’s words are best:

Some people have asked what the relationship is between peace and environment, and to them I say that many wars are fought over resources, which are becoming increasingly scarce across the earth. If we did a better job of managing our resources sustainably, conflicts over them would be reduced. So, protecting the global environment is directly related to securing peace.⁸

Here is a tribute video to Wangari Maathai by Puerto Rican jazz musician Carli Muñoz:

It has the kind of meditative, jazzy tone that might be what you need at this point in the term.

 

Global Climate Strike and Extinction Rebellion

Some of you may have participated in the Global Climate Strike in Waterloo Region on September 27, 2019. I was there at Waterloo Town Square with my family and an estimated crowd of 5,000. That is the largest ‘protest’ gathering I have witnessed in Waterloo. It was fun and inspiring – opening words and drumming by local Indigenous people, a flashmob of choir and orchestra, many speeches and lots of chanting, and creative placards. It was somewhat different than a typical strike, whereby people withdraw their labour or other services to protest some kind of rights violation. Some participants in the strike did leave school or workplaces, but that was mostly with permission from teachers and supervisors. I was left wondering about the efficacy of this kind of strike when the functioning of institutions was not compromised in any particular way.

 

The Global Climate Strike movement began, in part, in the aftermath of Greta Thunberg’s strike from school in the summer of 2018. She sat in front of the Swedish parliament daily for three weeks to protest the lack of action on the climate crisis from political leaders. After this, a movement called Fridays for Future emerged, signaling both the action and the reason, which spread around the world with the goal of holding climate crisis protests every Friday. 

While Thunberg is not the only leader in what is sometimes described as a ‘leaderless’ movement, her presence and message were a powerful catalyst that moved the environmental movement to a new level. What characteristics of Thunberg compelled people to act, do you think?

Some say it is her youth (age 16 when she came to international attention), and her emotions of anger and impatience with adults and politicians. The reading “Greta Thunberg and the Power of Strategic Movement Messaging” by Elizabeth Wilson points to Thunberg’s “moral narrative” that sets it apart from the traditional environmental movement. In this narrative, she “calls out those in power for failing to protect children from the loss of their future.”⁹

Certainly, Thunberg’s message gave a boost to the environmental movement in 2019. It will be interesting to see how the climate strike movement unfolds in the future.

Another new global movement is called Extinction Rebellion, abbreviated as XR.

This movement was founded in London, England in 2018 and “uses non-violent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse.”¹⁰ Their message is urgent, rebellious, and crisis-oriented.

Their tactics remind me of CODEPINK and Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp (Module 10) or Greenpeace. They engage in civil disobedience, blockades, street theatre, and what some might call shock tactics.

These last, very recent, movements show how important the internet is for peace movement activism. Much of the organizing and education occurs through social media and engaging websites.