"message to everyone reading this, from CEOs of big companies
to policymakers and concerned citizens"
They did not wear Greenpeace T-shirts in order to avoid self-promotion and be respectful of the energy coming from multiple sources. And that is the way we need to move forward. We need a respectful relationship between the NGO movement and these looser, networked movements like the Landless People's movement, the Indigenous People's movement, the women's movement, or any other. Unless formal NGOs are able to do that better, they run the risk of irrelevance and illegitimacy.
As you well know being from South Africa, divestment was a major issue in the anti-apartheid movement. Is divestment a useful instrument for spurring the move toward green fuels, green energy and, ultimately, climate stability?
Yes. We have worked with Bill McKibben of 350.org from the early days, including rallies in London and Amsterdam. This campaign, on its own, will not deliver the solution that we need. But the beauty of it is the capacity to energize broader climate action, especially amongst a constituency of people who tend to be very informed and concerned: youth.
There are now 400 campuses in the US alone that have divestment groups. This is a potentially powerful contribution to the climate struggle because it signals to investors in oil, coal, and gas that they may face a future of massive stranded assets leading to serious financial losses. Slowly, investors are beginning to look at climate as a financial risk.
The divestment campaign has real potential to bring in a new constituency of heretofore silent parties — investors — to exercise substantial pressure on the fossil fuel industry. Already, some US foundations have committed to divestment. Hopefully, many more, especially institutional investors, will soon follow.
What is your central, takeaway message to the scholars, activists, and concerned citizens who will be reading the transcript of this interview?
My message to everyone reading this, from CEOs of big companies to policymakers and concerned citizens, is this:
get out of your boardrooms, step down from your ivory towers, find the antidote to apathy, and join us. The environmental struggle is about the future of generations to come.
The time for contemplation and reflection is gone, and for the environmental movement to reach critical mass, all sectors of society need to get involved, in big and small ways. This struggle is about ensuring that our children and children's children will be able to thrive and succeed on this planet.
Kumi, we are very grateful for your time. Your wisdom and leadership in advancing global justice are truly exemplary.
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