'Drops in the ocean can make waves': How the grassroots climate movement took off in the US
In this excerpt from "The Carbon Wave," author Leah Stokes explores the lead up to that moment, and the wave of environmental action that followed.
In September 2017, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez witnessed Hurricane Maria's devastation in Puerto Rico, which left her grandfather without electricity for months. The same year, she traveled to Standing Rock, North Dakota, to observe the harm caused by the fossil fuel industry on Indigenous communities. Just a few weeks after her return from Standing Rock, she was invited to run for Congress.
In 2018, Ocasio-Cortez won the primary, signaling a turning point in U.S. politics as climate change regained prominence on the political agenda. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report in June 2018, warning that limiting global warming to 1.5°C required emissions to decrease by almost half by 2030.
This revelation sparked widespread concern and action, including a group of young activists from the Sunrise Movement. They staged a sit-in at Ocasio-Cortez's office, demanding a clear plan for addressing climate change. This grassroots movement quickly gained traction, leading to the introduction of the Green New Deal, a comprehensive proposal for addressing climate change and economic inequality.
The movement attracted diverse participants, including youth activists, environmental justice leaders, political organizers, and academics. However, tensions emerged within the movement as some argued that frontline communities facing the most significant pollution burdens were not adequately represented or involved in the discussions.
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