With passion and anger young people denounced the failures of capitalism and politicians to deal with growing climate disaster. Socialist Alternative Youth (SAY) in Metro Vancouver organized a meeting on Saturday, November 6 in solidarity with the protests at COP26 in Glasgow.
To build for the rally, held at Douglas College in New Westminster, over 400 posters were put up across the region. There were posters at both the Burnaby and Surrey campuses of Simon Fraser University (SFU), both the New Westminster and Coquitlam campuses of Douglas College, at Kwantlen Polytechnic, Langara College and the University of British Columbia. Posters were also up in shopping areas in east Vancouver (two), central Surrey and New Westminster and around several high schools. Six universities outside of Metro Vancouver, from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver Island, were also postered.
The day before, 100 high school students walked out of New Westminster Secondary School in strike demanding action on climate change. The students delivered letters to the local MLA’s and MP’s offices, both NDP members, criticizing the NDP‘s weak and insufficient action on the climate. Shamefully, the school’s management tried to discourage them from taking action to stop climate change.
A group of these students were part of the 40 people at the SAY rally on Saturday, with Isabella and Grace both giving passionate speeches. Isabella powerfully called out the criminals whose long list of atrocities include poisoning the planet, driving many species to extinction, polluting the oceans and killing the Great Barrier reef. Ecosystems are being destroyed by oil. She pointed out that while politicians talk of reconciliation, they use the RCMP to attack land and tree defenders. Grace stated her anger and her hope. Her anger at the multiple failures of authorities, whether on climate change or abuse at school. There is something very wrong about the world when we are told there is no alternative to capitalism that is killing life. Hope lies with her fellow students who walked out, hope is found in the resistance we are building.
Dave Seaweed, Indigenous Coordinator at the college, welcomed all to the college acknowledging that the meeting was on the lands of the Qayqayt Nation. He fears for the future with climate change and pollution ─ the Great Pacific garbage patch is bigger than France. However, seeing the work for social justice and the environment of people at the meeting gives him hope.
The opening speaker, Mark, an SFU Student and member of SAY and Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), pointed to all the extreme weather ─ “heat domes,” “atmospheric rivers” and “cyclone bombs” ─ yet the Canadian government continues to build a pipeline. He stated that we can’t save the planet while living under capitalism. The International Energy Agency, a former pro-oil organization, stated that all investment in new fossil fuel production must stop now to stop climate change, yet the government continues to subsidize new oil extraction. The corporate polluters like to talk about individual actions as it avoids the real issues ─ what they do. Individual actions have a small footprint compared to corporations. Business makes things so they fail in a few years and cannot be repaired, creating ever more waste and environmental destruction. System change is needed to allow international cooperation and democratic planning to tackle the climate disaster. This is impossible with capitalism, which is based on maximising profit and competition. The transition from fossil fuels requires the transition to socialism.
Soleilla, a young Black activist, criticized some environmentalists for ignoring class and racism – environmental justice must include social justice. She denounced the politicians at COP26, who claim to be tackling climate change but are not. They exclude the poor, the workers, and racialized people. The very people who cause the least climate change will suffer the most.
The final speaker, Grace, an SAY member at the University of Victoria, pointed out that capitalism causes climate change. Politicians try to blame public opinion for their lack of action. But a program of a just transition with good jobs and re-training has majority support. Technology exists to make the needed changes. The barrier is capitalism. COP26 will see a lot of greenwashing. Banks have signed up for NetZero, but only by 2050, far too late. The big Canadian banks are part of this pledge yet have invested $700 billion into fossil fuels to add to climate destruction in the last six years since the Paris Agreement to hold global heating to 1.5C. Bosses claim it is a choice between jobs and the environment ─ this is a lie. It is bosses who destroy jobs and the environment. Many young people are burdened with student debt and can only get low-paid insecure jobs. Most people would much rather have well-paid rewarding work helping to protect and repair the environment ─ producing renewable energy, insulating buildings, providing good public transit and planting trees. Workers create the wealth of society and with a socialist plan there would be good jobs and environment.
After the rally, ten activists went into the city centre to campaign for action now to end fossil fuel subsidies and transition to good jobs as part of a just transition. The event was initiated by Socialist Alternative Youth at SFU and Douglas College. It was supported by the Environment and Socialist Literature Clubs at New Westminster Secondary School, the TSSU at SFU and SAY at University of Victoria. SAY members will continue to build support for a socialist answer to the growing climate disaster.
