Written in the shadow of the worsening, potentially existential, climate crisis and accompanying government inaction, professor Dana R Fisher makes two central arguments in Saving Ourselves: From Climate Shocks to Climate Action.
First, while many people believe the shocking, disruptive civil disobedience carried out by groups such as Just Stop Oil (JSO) is detrimental to their cause and to the wider climate movement, Fisher argues that ‘the evidence to date does not support this perspective’.
A social scientist at American University in Washington DC, Fisher is always keen to highlight what the academic evidence says. She quotes professor Colin Davis, whose University of Bristol research suggested JSO’s actions ‘may actually be a very effective way to increase recruitment’ and that ‘the existence of a radical flank also seems to increase support for more moderate factions of a social movement, by making these factions appear less radical.’
Fisher also cites the results of a 1961 US poll which asked ‘Do you think “sit-ins” at lunch counters, “freedom buses” and other demonstrations by Negroes will hurt or help the Negro’s chances of being integrated in the South?’ 57 percent of respondents answered ‘hurt’, while just 28 per cent said ‘Help’.
It’s certainly interesting historical context, though I immediately wondered: ‘Is it possible some of these actions actually did hinder the US civil rights movement?’
It’s also worth noting Fisher’s claims about more confrontational nonviolent activism chime with a December 2022 report from Social Change Lab, and a July 2024 in-depth Waging Nonviolence article by Mark and Paul Engler, both of which highlighted positive radical flank impacts.
Fisher’s second argument is that the transformative political, economic and social change required to successfully address the climate crisis ‘will only be possible with a mass mobilization that is driven by the pain and suffering of climate shocks around the world.’
These shocks will likely need to be bigger and more durable than the pandemic, which produced only ‘ephemeral’ change, Fisher argues.
Echoing the work of British philosopher and climate activist Rupert Read, she warns ‘it is conceivable that the level of shock required… will involve sections of the world becoming uninhabitable, leading to mass migration.’
Fisher ends by sketching out three recommendations to collectively work towards: build up existing networks in your local community; capitalise on moral shocks such as state repression of climate activists; and cultivate resilience in preparation for more frequent and severe climate shocks.
Coming in at just 140 pages (with an additional 50 pages of references), Saving Ourselves is an important and timely book for activists interested in thinking strategically about how to engage with the most important issue facing humanity.