Interview with a Comrade from Iran

This interview was conducted on October 16th, 2022 and was slightly edited for clarity.   Paul Messersmith-Glavin: Tell us about yourself: where you’re from, and your relations with family and friends in Iran. Comrade: I was born in Tehran. And I still have a lot of … Read more

Fall 2020 IAS Newsletter

Grant Applications Open! Kicking Off 25 Years The Institute for Anarchist Studies is turning 25 and opening grants! The IAS is dedicated to furthering anarchist ideas and making them accessible to a broader audience. To celebrate a quarter century of supporting radical thought, we are … Read more

What Happened in Portland on May Day?

This May Day in Portland, Oregon about 1,500 people rallied and marched against capitalism, racism, and colonialism, including immigrant families, undocumented folks, people with disabilities, and working families with kids.  It was International Workers Day, which commemorates the Haymarket affair, which took place in Chicago, … Read more

Organizing Against Climate Catastrophe, by Paul Messersmith-Glavin

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The forces responsible for changing the climate and endangering the future of humanity have names. Names such as: Chevron and Exxon Mobil, Saudi Aramco and Petroleos de Venezuela. They are the predominant groups responsible for playing havoc with our collective future. In fact, two-thirds of historic carbon dioxide and methane emissions can be attributed to exactly ninety entities. They are based in forty-three countries and extract resources from every oil, natural gas, and coal rich region in the world. They process the fuels into products that are sold to consumers in every nation on the planet. Of the top 85 emitters, 54 are in industrialized countries and 31 are in developing nations.[2] Knowing who and where they are demonstrates that an end to the problem is within our reach. In order to stop global climate change all we need to do is put pressure on these isolated entities, right?
Wrong. While these are the primary economic forces responsible for climate change, it would be a mistake to think if we stop these particular companies from conducting business as usual, we can solve the problem. They are only the most public faces of a system that goes much deeper.

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