“WE KNOW THAT THE ISSUES OF CAPITALISM, COLONIALISM AND WHITE
SUPREMACY ARE THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS. THEY ARE ALSO THE LEADING FACTORS IN WHY THERE ARE SO MANY CUTS TO IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERVICES SUCH AS EDUCATION, LEGAL AID, CHILD CARE, HEALTH SERVICES, ETC. I UNDERSTAND THAT OUR STRUGGLES ARE SO DEEPLY LINKED, MEANING THAT WE CANNOT FIGHT FOR ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.”
I joined CJTO as a high school organizer who had little to no
experience in climate justice activism. I went with a friend to a meet- ing where I began a journey of learning and growing as an organizer, building relationships with people who inspire me every day!
VOICE: What does it mean to address climate justice through its root causes?
SAVI: In order to adequately fight against the climate crisis, we must look beyond short-term, temporary fix solutions. If there is to be meaningful change, we must focus on the systems that are caus- ing the problems in the first place. The climate crisis is produced by capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy. It is the racist, colonial systems, along with their exploitation and extraction of natural resources for profit, that is harming life on Earth. We must dismantle the systems that thrive on the destruction of
our planet and contribute to the climate crisis. In order to confront the root causes we must challenge colonialism and the theft of land from Indigenous peoples. We have to hold the colonial state, along with the companies who run it, accountable.
VOICE: How has Climate Justice Toronto connected climate justice to broader social justice movements? What kind of organizing do you do?
SAVI: One way that CJTO worked to connect climate justice to the broader Indigenous sovereignty movement has been with #ShutDownCanada. This movement works in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en community who are resisting the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project. I first became aware of the colonial violence towards Wet’suwet’en land defenders in early 2019. At that moment, there was an RCMP raid after the company obtained an injunction. Many land defenders were arrested and held at gunpoint. Information came out that said the RCMP were prepared to shoot. The people of Wet’suwet’en have the right to govern their land
free from violence. Instead, they must fight to protect the land from money hungry companies who don’t care about the lives they impact, the ecosystems they harm, or the planet they are destroying. It is critical for us, as settler allies, to go straight to the companies funding the pipeline. Many of us in CJTO participated and helped organize actions to challenge corporations supporting the pipeline. In addition, Students Say No and Fridays for Future Toronto teamed up to organize walkouts in five Toronto high schools in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en. We know that the issues of capitalism, colonialism and white
supremacy are the root causes of the climate crisis. They are also the leading factors in why there are so many cuts to important public services such as education, legal aid, child care, health services, etc. I understand that our struggles are so deeply linked, meaning that we cannot fight for one without the other.
VOICE: What did you learn as you became more involved with Climate Justice Toronto? What inspired you to get more involved?
SAVI: When I first became involved in Climate Justice Toronto, I was intimidated by the unfamiliar language and knowledge of other organizers who had more experience in the environmental move- ment. Being in this situation helped me grow as an activist, because I learned that it’s okay to not know everything! I became more com- fortable with asking questions and communicating my needs. In CJTO, I participated in and organized my first direct actions! From road blockades to sit ins, occupations to banner drops, I have
24 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2021
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