Naomi Klein encouraged an audience that completely filled Hendricks Chapel on Tuesday to work to combat climate change through system change.

As the last University Lecture speaker for the fall semester, the Canadian journalist, syndicated columnist and bestselling author insisted to the audience that change is necessary in her speech “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.”

Klein said one of the biggest issues with climate change and global warming is the lack of thought people put into it. In fact, people spend a lot of time not thinking about it by watching “cat videos” instead, she said.

Klein cited the weather of the day where Syracuse had a high of 71 degrees. As she sat on a bench and soaked up Vitamin D, she realized that while everything feels good, this weather is not good, Klein said.

“November is supposed to be sweater weather (in this part of the country), not sun-bathing weather,” she said.

Klein’s own personal journey to dedicating her life to this issue began when she realized she couldn’t “fully appreciate the spectacular moments” because as she would do things like eat freshly caught wild salmon, she realized she would have to explain the taste to her grandchildren because they would not be able to experience it.

This led Klein to write the book, “The Shock Doctrine,” which is also about climate change.

Klein said she believes that fixing the issue is about connecting the dots rather than attempting to start from scratch.

“The physical world will change or we will,” she said.

 

The author said she believes it is difficult for people to change because they do not accept or understand a cause that challenges their world views and that individuals do not like big, radical changes but instead prefer small, reasonable changes.

However, Klein said radical change is necessary because according to figures compiled by the World Bank, the Earth’s temperature will increase by four to six degrees Celsius. This will create an unrecognizable world that is “not compatible with anything desirable as an organized civilization.”

Klein insisted that she was not there to scare the audience, but instead promotes a solution.

“We need to lower emissions by eight to 10 percent a year in Western countries … (but we) can’t do that under the confines of the current system,” she said.

Instead Klein said she believes capitalism is a key issue because what is good for the economy is bad for the planet. This requires people to say “no” to corporations that do things that harm life and to instead think deliberately. In order to accomplish this, there needs to be “deep change.”

In addition, the author said she believes that a link between climate change and mass incarceration can also lead to a win. Klein sights the four-year drought and countless wild fires in California, where the state is now using prisoners as firemen.

“We need integrated solutions that solve multiple problems at once … (only then will there be) an incredible moment to see change,” Klein said.

During the Q&A portion of the event, a concerned Syracuse University student asked Klein how students who are passionate and want to affect change know that they are doing the right thing.

She responded that it is important for people to first take care of each other. She also said that anything done, no matter how small, is important because it is all a part of the movement.

Published on November 4, 2015 at 12:10 am

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