Forum and your host for todays, which is evening with Rebecca Solnit. An energizing case for hope about the climate. Also with us here on zoom, her coauthor thelma young, lieutenant lu, and to book howd i do . And her partner, fenton and a small one that is really the whole reason why we worry about climate. So thank. And theyll join us for the first part of this program from fiji and then they will have to stay around for the whole thing. Rebecca and ill have a conversation well have some question and time together. We want to give everyone chance to speak. So later in the program, please use the microphone. If youre coming up for a question or if youre on youtube, use the chat box feature. Your participation in the program is really important to us. So well try to get to everyone that we can can. And now its my pleasure to introduce susan haymer from biennials. Shell give some background about. Rebecca and the biennial conference. Hi everyone. Good evening. Thank you all for coming out. Very excited about this event. And i cooked this up a few months ago, maybe six months ago to kind of have preventable i dont know. You know that are Rebecca Solnit its going to be the keynotes at the pioneers conference which is happening in berkeley for the first time. As we said, april six to eighth. Lots speakers, in fact, a couple of speakers of people who wrote in this book. I know jade begley is one of them is also speaking its a its a wonderful conference about visionary speakers speaking about Climate Change, progressive politics of the environment everything that we care about going to be there is going to be three days and the mayor of there taking over berkeley so its going to be great. I hope youll join us. And by the way, we have a special Discount Code from the Commonwealth Club. Commonwealth 20. You can get a Discount Code can go all three days or just one day and then rebecca is going to be on the saturday. I first came across Rebecca Solnit on facebook of all places, and people were posting about her. I started reading her columns, the guardian, and i was so impressed i kind of went, wow, this is everything that i care about. I recommended. I read and recommended her book orwells roses for my book club. I im one of the people in my book club is here. We so enjoyed it. We so enjoy her work and were so thrilled that shes going to be speaking tonight and answering questions about hope for the climate. And its not too late, which im really glad to hear and i hope all glad to hear of some good news about, the climate. So im going ask rebecca if she would like to or know elizabeth. Would you like to introduce faten . Thelma i was hoping that rebecca would come up and join me and then maybe. And then maybe you would like to Say Something about fenton and salma before to kick it off. Well, first of all, im so excited to see them and is a dear friend and an inspiration at. Grew up in texas but now lives with husband in fiji. Hes indigenous fiji and thelma has been in the climate climate activists for a long time. She with three fifties, shes with the Solutions Project now. And we dreamed not too late as a project a couple of years ago launched as a website and social media about a year ago and. Then at a dinner party, i people i was not going to do more books. They had stopped doing books because i was trying to be a Better Climate activist. And we had this project called not too late and and everybody at the part this little kind of climate and writer dinner party looked at me and said that needs to be a book. So like emailed thelma whos in fiji 519 hours ahead or 5 hours behind, depending on you look at the clock and she on board and we did a book in less than a year so her husband is all cofounder the pacific climate warriors and is also the i think the Pacific Islander regional director of 350 dot org and he is one of the authors in the book or rather hes an interviewee. Thelma coedited this and wrote several of the pieces and he is the author of. The famous phrase for the Pacific Island warriors. Were not drowning, were fighting. So welcome, thelma and center and the baby. I dont think i need to introduce the baby, but i will say and thelma writes about this in, the very last piece in the book, having a baby is a pretty big hopeful thing to do for climate activists. So heres their commitment. Yay. So fennell and thelma, thank you. Thank you so much for being here. Its kind of like, i think that if look that way youll be able to see me. So its if im looking in a funny way youll understand why the thing that im really excited about is that my understanding is that the pacific climate warriors have kind of done what it is that think were here to talk about tonight. I think that what we want to to do is the narrative change the story so that we dont have that same dark and dismal inside of us, but start to not to know, be a little bit more regenerative ourselves. So in that light, i hope that we will be able to talk with you guys about process your narrative that youve changed. But before we get to that, i, i was interested, thelma, and one of the things that youve written and both rebecca thelmas writing is throughout this book, its so fun because its almost like theyre having a conversation with, of these people in this book. And one of the things that thelma write is you mentioned something that intrigues me. You say instead of sacrificing, we have to drive less, eat less, etc. So the question comes up instead, what is our connection to . What is our relationship to connection you . Are you right . Are you getting to know your neighbors . If flood comes through tomorrow . Would you be ready to assist each other shifting our task list toward mutuality and also learning to know the patterns and the plants so that kinship would not have immediately been on my list. So thank you. Youre already really my consciousness. This so you want to start . You by talking about the commune, the aspect a little bit . Sure. Okay. And thanks for having us ventured and i met through doing climate storytelling work so makes sense that were doing this event together and with our son whos also been a part of the book from the very beginning. Yeah its. For so long the Climate Crisis also been a storytelling crisis and its been dominated so much by by the western media who talks about individualism so much, you know, and it also again like, like i was saying, it talks about those if want to solve a Climate Crisis, you to reduce your lifestyle you to create a mindset of scarcity you have to focus on the individual self. But if we shift that and we think about, you know, maybe through solving the Climate Crisis, we can actually build a better world if. We think about it in that way. And if we centered communities and how we solve the problem, then itll be a lot more fun along the way. Well have more joy. Well build again more resilient, happier, more beautiful places. And i think this is how, again, we want to shift the narrative of its about how can we all come together, find our power . And instead of thinking the Climate Crisis as scarcity, think of it. Think of it as abundance and rebecca and i talk about this in the book that we need to shift the story to abundance. Actually, we can create a better world through this process, you know, standing what is destructive, taking that down and then rebuild something beautiful and its place. Yeah maybe we even got a glimmer of that with the covid shutdown like the idea that we could see and feel more than we normally that was pretty to many of us. So maybe that your to something that weve sensed a little bit. Yeah exactly or reading if you to chime in. Yeah. I think only thing i love to add is is like this idea of connectedness both to each other well as to the Natural World and, how you really focus in on intentional and deliberate about how we build that connectedness. So much of that connectedness has helped us in the, in, you know in the wake of like a massive tropical. Its that feeling connectedness to a neighbor that helps the the rebuild happen and like thelma said so much of the work right now has been about the breaking right. How do we sort of break away from past habits that served us . How do we break away from, like you think, the capitalistic idea that the fossil fuel industry sort of pushes all us and how do we build . And so much of the way forward is how do we build that connectedness . How do we build relational with how do we build the sort of future that we all deserve . And so much of the work that weve done as a pacific climate warriors has really been in service to a story, is more nuanced, that is more complex that really sees the human value. And for a very long time a single story that was about my people Pacific Islanders in the face of this Climate Crisis was that were victims waiting to be saved. So it took away our allegiance, right. So as a collective of connected Pacific Islanders around the region, we started actually theres a fuller more theres a fuller truth that we have the opportunity tell this this larger story about who we are as as like, you know, as heroes in our own story connected to skills, traditional knowledge, indigenous wisdom and how do we use that to really build up this future that were all striving towards . And thats thats where the the the of slogan of the pacific war is, pacific climate warriors came from. Were not drowning fighting it were us to tell a full story about who we are. And fenton, as youve told that story, do you find that resonate with it . And you help us to bring that also into our lives so that we can heroes in that new narrative somehow . Can you give us any about that . Yeah, i definitely felt that it has more resonant recently. Resonant recently, i think more and more people are like theyre you know its that theyre looking at how do we build together moving forward and a lot of that can look like many Different Things for us in the pacific, on the frontlines of the Climate Crisis. You know, its its constantly just like reminding people that were here, that were not going anywhere, that we deserve to thrive. And i know you want to talk a little bit about what that means for you and yeah, i dont like this so much. This is so great great. Im so clear. For me, being pregnant was, an exercise in hope and bring a child into world is one of the most physical realities of i am not giving up i am shifting the narrative of my own life and my familys life to one of despair and gloom and, to one of hope and even even if the future isnt perfect, were not giving up and think thats where im holding in my heart is that the future is uncertain. And thats okay, because it gives us space to build the world that we want. And so when look at the future for my son and, i have no idea what that features. Some of like, but i know that its going to be what we make it to be and so were not giving up. Theres, theres clapping going on in the room and i want to share with you our own experience. Were sitting here in San Francisco, and this building is on the edge of the bay here on embarcadero. And yesterday we had seven mile an hour winds and and it floods this street when that happens. So experience of things changing and now is not something just far away. Its also right here for us. Oh yeah everyones weve hit the point with Climate Change where its no longer about polar bears. It is impacting every single one on the world. And its one of those things where its everyones by Climate Change. But every story is completely different, which also why we need so many new climate out there who can tell their stories a way that resonates with their communities. We need to drastically diversify our climate. I spoke to the world instead of just kind of the usual same voices. We need everyone talking to their neighbors in in ways that they will relate to. And if we build up those climate storytellers, then and more people can to you agree dont stop it. Well we have an intention of having all of us feel Like Neighbors and all of us feel like a local group that can start to build up our relations with each other. So thank you encouraging us because, you know, we always think were rugged and maybe time for us to get better at being connected. We the only way were going to make it through the Climate Crisis is we act together. And if we act as a community, theres no way to survive as individuals so definitely get to know the around you and that stronger bond will resonate down the road. Are there resources that you want to share with us that might be helpful for us for doing more of that . Are there or projects that you all are working on that you want to point us in that direction . Yeah. I mean, i absolutely adore the work of the pacific warriors there. Did know on facebook that just to 50 pacific instagram, their handle is at the site of the climate warriors. And i encourage you to just visit visit the instagram handle. They share a lot of stories about what resilience looks like on the un, on the sort of in the villages, the different villages around the pacific. They also are currently working a project where theyre trying china connect village to village and build resilient villages across, the pacific. And i think its inspiring. I think its innovative. I think theyre just incredible. I also have a very biased opinion of that, and you can also check out our website not to claim climate org. Im rebecca and i have a bunch of really great resources on there. Yeah. Hope you can check it out. Thelma, whats your intention with that what that website we just it to be kind of an ongoing kind of a touchpoint you know if you ever had that despair gloomy kind of day can just go to the website find one of the articles, read it and kind of be same thing with the book rebecca. And i thought of it as kind. The thing that you kind of keep in your backpack in your bag and you can pull out and read an essay any time that your that your spirit it thank you is there anything else that you guys want to say to us while youre while were all here together . Yeah, i just want to say i think its such a beautiful, incredible time to center for creativity art. I think in the world that were all building, that it has to be space for, but there has to be space for poetry, for music, and much of the folks that dont mind rebecca spoke through in the book also come from that, you know, they had that background and creativity and the commitment to to using creative until tell really beautiful stories. And so yeah, i just encourage you to think about how you want to bring outlet to light and the different ways that you look through this world. Yeah, i think rebecca is going to say a lot of amazing things, but just never forget the beautiful things, the world, you know, theres a lot of me to despair, but theres a lot to be joyous about. So never forget that. Yeah. Thank you so much for being with us, you guys and. Congratulations on the book. Thelma, one made you. See. Wow, im going to see if we can have that baby at all hours, all our sort of hybrid events. Oh, so precious. And the baby is mentioned in the book, so i might like before the baby arrives. Well, we finish the book before the baby born, but the editorial process allowed some updates and so hes in it. So great. And i just think its a miracle to be able to have these with each other that are International Conversations where we can inspire each other as needed and, also have it be super local like. Here we all are in this room. What can we do with that energy . Well, so congratulations on the book. Just you. Im. I just think its such a joyous and imaginative collection of essays. We were so excited. We asked. We essentially assembled a dream team. We asked the people we most wanted to be in this book and everybody. Yes, we have to intern. Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change top scientists. Weve got other geographers and other scientists. We have leaders in the Climate Movement, have people from frontline communities, have visionaries like adrian brown, our youngest contributor, i think was 26 when she wrote for us. Our oldest, 80 roshi, joan halifax, the buddhist leader, and you know, its an International Community of voices. It was wonderful to put together, wonderful to put out into the world. So and this is actually the first event for it. So thank yay. I am im struck yesterdays Climate Action being in the midst of a 70 mile an hour wind and a storm and what a reminder that is a priority. And that pushing the whole pipeline lines and destroying old growth forests is really not the way to go. Although yesterdays protest was really across the nation with more than 100 demonstrations about banks that are financing fossil fuel extraction, the big four are chase, wells fargo, citi and and b of a and you know, they are playing a huge in the destruction of the planet and the climate and it was an action for people to withdraw their money cut up their credit cards. I cut up my long time united miles card and you know tell the banks to stop doing that and to stop financing destruction and so San Francisco despite the incredible rain and wind and cold while we thought it was cold. People in other parts, the country want it. You know, we had more than a hundred people for a couple of hours, we shut down the street and. Some remarkable things happened. Remarkable speakers and so yeah, but it happened from maine to people did a rocking chair vigil in washington dc for 4 hours mixers led by third act Bill Mckibben, a new group led by people by Senior Citizens and people over 60. He felt the Climate Movement was burdening the young with like, oh, you young people are so amazing. Why dont you do all the work . Is how it ended up sounding. So its time for older people as a powerful constituency because we have a lot of resources i