Dude, where's my coalition?

Progressives discover there is no coherent energy movement to take advantage of this moment

Posted by David Roberts at 1:16 PM on 21 Jul 2008

Read more about: energy | environmental movement | grassroots activism

I talked with lots of people inside and outside the green movement at Netroots Nation, and one theme arose again and again. Everyone agrees that the energy issue is more salient every day, in virtually every area of politics (economy, foreign policy, etc.). Lots of people are now being pushed to address it. They're looking around for a pre-existing coalition to hook into, and since energy thinking has been outsourced to the green movement for decades now, that's the obvious place to look.

But there is no such coalition.

There is no progressive climate/energy community with a set of shared assumptions, shared messages, and shared goals. There are lots and lots of groups pursuing their own initiatives, coming up with their own language and framing, building their own email lists, and doing their own development and fundraising. To the extent they interact it takes the form of squabbling over details and messaging. There's plenty of infighting but very little leadership and coordination.

So what is the foreign policy community supposed to do? What are progressive economists supposed to do?

What they inevitably do is come up with their own goals and their own messages, thus adding to the background white noise that's already impenetrable to the public. What cuts through that white noise is "drill here drill now pay less." It's simple, it's being echoed in 100 different places, and it looks like leadership.

The green movement's time has come. This is the moment, the historical fork in the road. And the movement is totally, woefully disorganized and unprepared. It's a bitter irony: All the things it has worked for and dreamed about for 30 years are going to happen, and it is going to be all but irrelevant to them.

Pretty disheartening.

For story: Dude, where's my coalition?
16 Comments | Post a Comment

Now, Dave...

...the environmental community, and most of the progressive one as well, have pretty much bought into the whole automobile/oil culture, and have been at pains to assume its continued existence for fear of alienating people. So at the moment, they are all in a process of trying to absorb the idea that the era of cheap oil is ending. This will take a while.

What you saw with Gore advocating, or implying, the end of a a fossil-fuel society, is a glimmer of attention to the idea, maybe for the first time.

When you say "energy", are you really talking about gasoline/oil prices? Or are people also concerned about electricity costs, or god forbid, carbon-based electricity sources? Because if it's the former, then people will have to discuss how suburbia will look, how cities will look, with an electrified transportation system, and I think that that is something that progressives/environmentalists are woefully unprepared for, as it will probably involve lots of talk of public transit/walkable communities, which, again, might sound scary. And yes, electric cars.

by Jon Rynn at 1:30 PM on 21 Jul 2008

You're right, David

And it's not limited to the environmental orgs. Many of the groups I'm affiliated with in the pro-competition world, pro-efficiency world and environmental worlds are finally getting their messages heard, and all are far too fragmented to respond coherently.

The most talented individuals within those communities are increasingly decamping off to launch their own solo efforts, realizing (probably not incorrectly) that they're better off on their own. And lots of the rest are working hard to retain their "king of the dweebs" titles, standing directly in the path of success. We ought to do better.

by Sean Casten at 2:02 PM on 21 Jul 2008

While waiting

While waiting for a coalition, be thinking about how to involve your community in the one that's happening:

Transition Towns

http://www.transitiontowns.org/

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.

by risabee at 2:08 PM on 21 Jul 2008

It should be easy enough

to stitch one together. Start with a list of ideas that these groups could all agree on, and get most of these groups to agree to work together on these ideas. Add a few charismatic leaders, a catchy name, and you're done.

Building this list shouldn't be too hard. Just make sure to only include wide truths (e.g. Coal is an enemy to mankind) and don't add any specific controversial technologies to the list (e.g. nuclear).

by Matt G at 2:14 PM on 21 Jul 2008

Matt G

I'd say it's actually quite hard. You need a group that is:

(a) politically savvy
(b) politically powerful
(c) technically literate
(d) economically literate
(e) creative - a fount for good ideas
(f) capable of acting quickly

I'd challenge you to name any advocacy/lobbying/think-tank that meets these criteria and doesn't represent the status quo.

Most of the best orgs that I know either agree on goals but fight about paths, or else spend their time trying to hold together coalitions of disparate interests (for political power) that can't agree on goals (making it impossible for them to act on anything). The worst ones meanwhile may agree on goals and paths and have no dissension within their ranks, but are politically naive and grossly idealistic and - as a result - are politically powerless. (Many environmental orgs, sadly, fall into this group.)

by Sean Casten at 2:32 PM on 21 Jul 2008

Where are we?

From the commenter Kiashu, over at TheOilDrum.com:

"There is no problem."

"There is a problem, but The Market! and Science! will solve it, so it's not really a problem."

"Holy shit, there really is a problem with no easy solutions."

"I guess I better do something."

"Hey government! Get off your arse and help us!"

by Jon Rynn at 2:43 PM on 21 Jul 2008

This is one problem

that you can't drill your way out of. - T. Boone Pickens.

I never thought much of Mr. Pickens, but he bought the time to run his ad during Meet the Press with Brokaw (Gotta agree with Dave about Tom) and Gore and he was right about this.

This is also a case where the media is failing to ask the obvious follow up questions when any politician takes this approach.

Wes Rolley CoChair - EcoAction Committee Green Party US

by wesrolley at 2:53 PM on 21 Jul 2008

Green for All

Actually, I'd say Green For All is taking a pretty good approach on this.

http://www.greenforall.org/

But the reason the greens lunch has been eaten is that main stream environmental groups and thinkers have mostly focused on putting a price on carbon. (Sean, I'm including you on this, because indirectly your proposal does create a carbon price.) It is not that putting a price on carbon is wrong but it should never have been the main focus. The single biggest potential source of cuts would come through public investment. And poltically if all the green groups had been shouting all along about public investments to reduce emissions and replace oil, the right would not have been eating our lunch on this.

by Gar Lipow at 3:09 PM on 21 Jul 2008

Yabbit, Gar

Gore's payroll taxcut/carbon tax that is revenue neutral takes care of the difficulty in getting a new tax to price carbon. Without the typical rightie no-new-taxes swiftboatery.

I am all for public investment too, like government ordering a million plugin hybrid cars over 3 years, or putting solar on federal, state, and local buildings.

And subsidy as well, direct subsidy checks to homeowners, farmers, and businesses who generate GHG free kwh for the grid from their renewable energy systems.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 3:28 PM on 21 Jul 2008

[Sean]

Other than possibly (b), you've described the bloggers and readers gristmill. And (b) would come with the coalition.

Of course all of your problem groups probably describe us as well.

Just start a seperate group made up and supported by this one. Agree to create a platform and stick to it. The rest is marketing.

by Matt G at 3:42 PM on 21 Jul 2008

a suggestion

focus on some specific legislation, count votes, dog the legislation daily

sort of like the negative Kos campaigns against the latest outrage, but for a positive goal

I suggest grid expansion

Sen. Leader has a bill already. Many utilities want something. Dovetails with wind and concentrated solar

figure out, specifically, what you want
AC DC how many volts. Where. What funding. Any related FERC change? What about NIMBY?

Sen Sanders is on Energy Comm. He is interested. Bring him your prize bill.

Work it. Work it. Work it.

Work

end the jibber jabber and philosophy; pick a goal; just do it

by ce1907 at 8:47 PM on 21 Jul 2008

Perhaps...

There is no energy policy coalition in the environmental community because humans do not want to hear what they need to give up in order to bring energy policy in line with a healthy environment. A healthy planet is about responsibility, not about the rights and entitlements so dear to the hearts of progressives. Earth may be saved by giving up, by not doing, by not buying. No other solution has a chance.

Start with a group of humans who tell themselves they are committed to saving Earth. Tell them they have to give up...

Breeding
Cars
Large houses
Land "development"
Processed food
Heating oil
Land "development"
Vacuum cleaners
Household cleaners
Retirement

Still there?

Economic "growth"
Pets
Bottled water
Airlines
Dry cleaning
Cosmetics
Nascar
School busses
Teflon
HMO's

And now?

3000 mile food
Lawns
Cell phones
Clothes dryer
Disney World, Land...
Plastic
RV's, ATV's, Snowmobiles, etc.
Eco-Tours
Cosmetic surgery
UPS

Anyone left? That's what I thought.

Gene

by greengenes23 at 7:12 AM on 22 Jul 2008

Yep ce

We need a real leader. Gore mentioned transporting the power from solar and wind rich areas on underground transmission lines, he meant high voltage DC lines.

Obama will be busy doing all the other stuff he has to do as president. Gore ought to lead the renewable energy/ag conservation revolution.

But maybe from outside the normal government structure, heading up a commision or something? What are the precedents for this? If any?

I keep getting back to the idea of government ordering millions of solar systems and plugin hybrids to impell mass production, as in the case of WW 2 industries, and then the president jawboning big corporations into making matching orders of similar equipment. To really get this manufacturing going.

It's a problem though, translating something this complex into simple enough concepts for legislators to grasp and communicate to voters.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

by amazingdrx at 7:46 AM on 22 Jul 2008

Where's the coalition? Energy that is.

Did Roberts just discover this? For the past year or more I have hassled numerous climate groups to get their act together and formulate their own energy legislation to counteract the Boxer-Lieberman gruel that passes for global warming legislation. They just sat on their butts. Mostly they didn't answer me; those that did were nasty and told me not to complain or that I was a "purist". So much for environmental activism. And since then nothing has changed. Some groups support carbon trading. Some oppose carbon taxes. All supported the "80% reduction by 2050" in CO2 emissions, knowing that by that date the game is over. There is no leadership.
Even 350.org, Bill McKibben's group, has no clear plan for getting down to the 350 ppm the scientists urge. Do these people think that we should just sit around and pray for a miracle? Isn't anyone embarrassed? Or maybe they aren't scared enough? Or just lazy? Whatever the case, we have failed collectively. We complain but propose no alternative. No wonder the politicians are in control. The activists are sitting in front of their computers instead of storming the doors of congress and marching in the streets. We have put ourselves at their mercy even though science is on our side. We should just crawl away in shame.

by lorna salzman at 10:53 AM on 22 Jul 2008

Gene's Post Says It All

It's basically what I've been saying for a long time, with details added. One thing I'd point out: there's no point in trying to make a list, it's almost infinite. It's the entire idea of industrial society and the anti-environmental attitudes that come with it, including materialism and putting human comfort and convenience above the rest of the Earth. Even most of the posters on Grist fall into this category. The people we should be learning from and emulating are the very few hunter-gatherers left, and maybe pre-industrial agricultural communities (if there are any left) for more immediate solutions, not yuppie types who are more interested in maintaining ecologically and environmentally destructive lifestyles than they are fixing ecological and environmental problems. The latter group tries to convince us that technology will save us and/or the Earth, which is laughable considering that technology is the problem. (Yes, some technologies are more harmful than others, but they're all harmful.)

And this perfectly explains the reactions that Lorna got when she tried to get climate groups to organize climate groups and get effective climate legislation drafted and proposed. Again, in most environmental groups, people fall far more into the yuppie category than into the one concerned primarily about the natural world on which all life, including humans, depends.

by Wolverine at 11:47 AM on 22 Jul 2008

Wolverine --

That's the nice thing about Grist, you get a full spectrum. Wouldn't want to preach to the converted. And the people on Grist are generally way outside the box, or outside the Beltway, in terms of what people are thinking about (just look at the reaction to Gore's speech). But keep goin' for it.

by Jon Rynn at 11:52 AM on 22 Jul 2008

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