Ms Klein’s presentation connected current practices in Michigan with disaster politics used in New Orleans. We have the conditions of having been hit by a hurricane in Detroit, but this has happened through neglectful design.
Last night Naomi Klein discussed her most recent book and film “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs The Climate” at Rackham Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her discussion brought issues discussed in the book into context of current events with attention to the effects of Emergency Management Law in Michigan as it has impacted Detroit, Flint, Benton Harbor, Highland Park and other communities.
She pointed out how the rise of neo-liberalism/globalism around 1988 brought our society to consider individualism with market intervention as business as usual. Charles Koch and his network of donors has vowed investments in electoral politics to fight against collectivism which would challenge individualism. Ms. Klein spoke in favor of radicalism as required to break from the status quo for any form of progress to be made.
The climate around the world is in peril and the US is a major player in setting standards that are too permissive. Germany is currently generating 30% of its power from green energy sources (50% in summer) – yet in the US, with more favorable conditions, our policies have prevented moving aggressively forward in divesting from our dependence on fossil fuels to embrace renewable green energy generation.
During the presentation she pointed out that the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans were caused less by the storm, which had been classified as a tropical storm when hitting land, and more by long-term neglect. Nature provided a way to accelerate neo-liberal agenda. One of the results being 95% of New Orleans are charter schools privatizing profit from education. She followed this saying that Detroit, Flint, and Grand Rapids (Michigan cities) are all in the top 10 cities with the most charter schools.
Detroit should not be a laboratory for neo-liberal policies which seek to maximize profit, drive out residents who are unable to meet market driven expulsion whether based on bank foreclosures, water shutoffs, or any of the many factors that impact the people. She praised the work of activists on all the various facets of confrontation.
Ms. Klein discussed the forecasting studies by Exxon which revealed changes in climate in advance, yet executives and board chose to move forward in spite of these findings. There is hope that prosecution would occur due to neglect by business of this advance knowledge similar to the prosecution and ruling against the tobacco industry.
Divestment programs need public support and our educational institutions need to be one of the FIRST places committing to divestment. Our children deserve a planet they can live on. African nations walked out of global discussion on capping the rise of global temperature at 2 degrees Celsius. These developing countries saw the developed countries did not take responsibility and insisted on equity in a condition worsened by the developed countries. The impact of climate change as discussed at COP19 would devastate many of their people.
The event brought a full audience from across the state. Many activists working on various causes were in attendance. In closing she acknowledged the presence of many activists in the auditorium working on radical change. Encouraging those attending to get to know new faces next to them and the efforts they are involved in.
