Imagine the sheer number of protests that have erupted across the globe since the genocide in occupied Palestine began on October 7th, 2023. Here in Ireland, we have witnessed an unprecedented wave of civil disobedience in virtually every village, town, and city—a pattern replicated worldwide. We have been inundated with condemnatory statements from politicians against Israel’s apartheid and genocidal regime.
As I write, over sixty-five thousand people have been slaughtered in Palestine. People are protesting who, two years ago, could never have imagined themselves taking to the streets. They march because, at this stage, it feels like the only thing they can do.
This global outcry stands in stark contrast to the silence surrounding other mass deaths. Since the war criminal Trump resumed the US presidency over a year ago, his administration’s cuts to international aid programs are estimated to have caused over three hundred thousand deaths. This has had a devastating, deteriorating effect globally. Where are the marches for these victims?
Similarly, global warming has already killed tens of thousands across the planet. Its effects are visible everywhere, locally and internationally. Why haven’t we protested this with the same intensity? Let me be clear: I do not for a moment consider the slaughter in Palestine a “lesser evil.” My point is that the international citizenry must now replicate the model of civil disobedience we have perfected in solidarity with Palestine. Millions will suffer and die due to climate collapse, and the time for action is now.
What can be done? Any act of civil disobedience for the climate is an act to save our children and grandchildren. Nothing less will suffice, especially after the latest COP failure proved the global political class is utterly unwilling to act decisively. The proletariat, alongside all who are willing to fight, must act to save our planet.
The capitalist drive for infinite growth is fundamentally incompatible with a finite planet. We need collective action that combines individual efforts with the systemic change necessary to halt global warming and build resilience. As George Monbiot wrote in Out of the Wreckage, “Commercial activity, broadly speaking, consists of extracting resources from a hole in the ground on one side of the planet, inducing people to buy them, then dumping them a few days later in a hole in the ground on the other side.” This ecocidal logic must be stopped.
Political activity in Ireland has virtually ceased on this front, or the media refuses to focus on what is the most fundamental issue facing humanity. We need to up the ante. We must extend the spirit of our Palestinian solidarity to a universal struggle for a liveable future. Otherwise, I truly fear for what is to come.
