‘We do not do petitions. We do direct action,’ is the opening gambit of Climate Defiance’s website. The eco activist outfit’s MO is political disruption, and it has its eye on the 2024 US election.
With the next US presidential election scheduled for November 2024, the nation’s eco-activists are upping the ante to ensure ecological reform is high on the agenda of candidates.
One such group, which sprung to life in March 2023, has proclaimed it will take action against ‘cowards’ and ‘criminals’ of all political affiliations in the run-up to next winter.
Unmoved by the colossal shortcoming that was COP28, ‘Climate Defiance’ believes its hand has been forced and will now spearhead ‘disruptive, nonviolent direct action’ targeted at US legislators responsible for thwarting progress.
Throughout Q three and four of 2023, Climate Defiance raucously popped up (without invitation) at a string of events involving officials from Biden’s administration and banking chiefs from the Federal Reserve.
Having upended several such fancy gatherings – including those hosted by transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and energy secretary Jennifer Granholm – its most notable outing saw an honorary soiree for Exxon CEO Darren Woods completely ousted last month.
This is huge. This is absolutely monumental. We just shut down an event honoring Exxon CEO Darren Woods. The whole room fled. We showed up & prevented this monster from uttering a word. We will resist him with all we’ve got. There is no choice. pic.twitter.com/Vv2LYMhkSP
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) December 8, 2023
Like the many eco outfits that came before it, Climate Defiance’s ultimate enemy is the expansion of fossil fuels – and the now ubiquitous fact that it is the leading driver of climate change. Its fundamental focus on political chiefs, however, is a shrewd MO that may land it a seat at the table during congressional meetings.
Senior group member Michael Greenberg claims that he was invited to meet with deputy energy secretary David Turk mere days after disrupting one of his events. I’d call that a resounding success.