Climate change is fueling extremism, raising tempers along with temperatures in cities around the world. And the climate justice movement’s successes can help to prevent the next violent eruption.
“It’s a hot summer in the Arctic, and it’s turning into a big storm. It’s coming close to the ship on the horizon.”
In August 2018, a small group of volunteers on board the Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise vessel were preparing for a three-day science expedition when they suddenly got news that a ship carrying Canadian oil was running aground due to a navigational error. The news came from the Russian Coast Guard. The volunteers rushed to their ship’s radio.
The icebreaker Arctic Sunrise was on track to bring essential supplies — and to offer a unique platform for the climate justice movement. Greenpeace’s volunteer ship has been a source of inspiration and hope for the climate movement since 2001, carrying young people who are organizing around the world for a more sustainable world.
The Arctic Sunrise’s crew were quickly flooded with calls and emails from activists worldwide, expressing concern about the ship and the safety of the group’s staff and students. Many feared for their safety.
“Climate change is real, and it’s already happening,” one of the first to call the ship said. “People are dying every day and children are dying from heatstroke because they can’t breathe.”
It was the moment of truth for the Greenpeace ship. The crew of over 200 volunteers and students had been traveling for five months and were only halfway through their voyage. There wasn’t much they could do, other than to send a message to the Russian Coast Guard and try to get the ship off the ice.
The Arctic Sunrise sailed off into the darkness and into the future, leaving the Greenpeace ship that was stuck in the ice behind. As the ship broke through, the crew watched in awe as they began to emerge
