I used to think that being US Secretary of State was a busy job (North Korea / China / Germany / Iran / Afghanistan / Russia / Palestine / Yemen / ...), but Antony Blinken took a lot of time to introduce Xiye Bastida at the US-led Leaders Climate Summit back in April. It was a fulsome tribute to the 19-year old climate justice activist, who's a member of @fridays4future and co-founder of @Re_EarthOrg. Xiye [ ʃɛ́j ] was born in Mexico, but now lives in the USA.
Xiye (think Greta Thunberg without the jokes) has a better honed and less emotional anti-neoliberal rhetorical line than GT. You can listen to the Blinken appreciation, and Xiye's talk here. If you do, you'll be left in no doubt where the problem lies:
"The climate crisis is the result of us(?) perpetuating and upholding the harmful systems of colonialism, oppression, capitalism, and market-orientated greenwashing solutions."
And it's even clearer what has to be done:
"We already have all of the solutions we need, so all we have to do is implement them."
Here's one of Xiye's many Demands:
"We demand comprehensive, non-Eurocentric, and intersectional climate education including literacy on climate justice, environmental racism, ancestral and indigenous wisdom, and historical movements, disability justice, green careers, and sustainable living."
I'm sure I heard the sound of Joe Biden nodding.
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