Tag Archives: climate change

Picking targets, making enemies, and the Green New Deal

Posted on February 24, 2019 by David S. Meyer

The viral video of Senator Dianne Feinstein discussing a Green New Deal resolution highlights important questions about the friends and enemies that social movements make. Brief clips of children from the Sunrise Movement imploring Feinstein to support their ambitious resolution … Continue reading →

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Democracy and science

Posted on April 24, 2017 by David S. Meyer

This weekend’s March for Science turned out hundreds of thousands around the world, with particularly large turnouts in Washington, DC, and Chicago. For yet another protest weekend, a week before the Peoples Climate March, this level of participation was pretty impressive. … Continue reading →

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Keystone XL: what victory looks like

Posted on January 7, 2016 by David S. Meyer

With ice and glaciers melting across the Arctic, at least this one polar bear found a comfortable place to rest on Pennsylvania Avenue. (Not really, that’s an activist in costume….) Last November, President Obama (finally) announced a decision on the … Continue reading →

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Climate activists: Habemus papem

Posted on June 18, 2015 by David S. Meyer

Pope Francis’s encyclical on the moral necessity of protecting the earth is out.  You can read “On Care for Our Common Home” here (in English; translations in many other languages are readily available–but I couldn’t find the Latin version).  The … Continue reading →

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Patriotic conflict at UC-Irvine unflagging

Posted on March 13, 2015 by David S. Meyer

Amazingly, national interest in the flag conflict at the University of California, Irvine, where I teach, is unwavering.  More than a few people seem to think that there is political mileage in beating up on a few students who sponsored … Continue reading →

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Do you believe in science?

Posted on February 23, 2015 by David S. Meyer

The image above is from the Heartland Institute, an advocacy group which receives funding from a number of conservative sources (Scaife, Olin, Koch, for example) to promote doubts about climate change, the health risks of cigarettes, the dangers of fracking, … Continue reading →

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Peace movement anyone?

Posted on September 12, 2014 by David S. Meyer

Strong social movements are hard to start and end all too easily.  It’s just about exactly the opposite of wars. President Obama’s speech last night (September 10) was emphatic about a couple of things: his determination to use American military … Continue reading →

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Stanford, Steyer, and institutional allies

Posted on May 8, 2014 by David S. Meyer

Here’s a little wrinkle on yesterday’s news about Stanford’s coal divestment: Billionaire Tom Steyer sits on Stanford’s board of trustees; actually, he’s vice-chair.  Steyer, formerly an extremely successful hedge fund manager, has been raising money for liberal and Democratic candidates … Continue reading →

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Stanford and the Fossil Free campaign

Posted on May 7, 2014 by David S. Meyer

Stanford University announced that it would work to divest holdings in coal companies from its investment portfolio.  It’s a relatively small blow to the coal industry, which is bracing for some bigger hits soon.  It’s also a big victory for … Continue reading →

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Claiming Nelson Mandela

Posted on December 6, 2013 by David S. Meyer

The flags are at half-staff here in Irvine, mourning the death, and commemorating the life of Nelson Mandela.  President Mandela outlived and outperformed most of his critics, leaving us with an unduly warm and fuzzy picture of a genial elder … Continue reading →

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