The climate crisis and larger existential ecological crisis affecting every earth system are inextricably linked to other crises.

One is a core Western religious, cultural and economic belief human beings are separate from, not connected to, nature. “Animism,” the idea for most of the 300,000 year human history that all living beings are interconnected, was replaced several centuries ago with the narrative that nature was property, objects, and/or resources available to humans for their exclusive use. This coincided with the enclosure of “the commons” (land available to all for subsistence) in Europe and the rise of capitalism.

Yet another fundamentally linked crisis is a “democracy” crisis or, if you prefer, a crisis of the lack of self-governance, self-determination, sovereignty, the right to decide. The ecological crisis is inextricably linked to a democracy crisis.

The majority of people are simply not in charge, not able to make fundamental political and economic decisions to protect the natural world – to stop what is destroying and to promote alternatives to live a sustainable life in harmony with the “carrying capacity” of the planet. We the People lack basic political and economic democracy. 

Authentically “Legalizing Democracy” is critical. The We the People Amendment is one essential part of the solution. It would abolish all corporate constitutional rights (aka, “corporate personhood”) and the constitutional doctrine that political money spent in elections is First Amendment-protected “free speech.” 

The democracy crisis prevents needed action on all ecological concerns.

But it also prevents needed action on other serious problems concerning health care, education, housing, banking, poverty, inequality, guns, wars, etc.

They are all problems that harm individuals, communities and the natural world, but they are not naturally occurring or inevitable. They’re intentional, conscious and deliberate. They’re planned and implemented. They’re designed to keep the majority with a minority of power. 

Systems are designed to disempower us: the structure of political elections, the setup of regulatory agencies, the configuration of our capitalist economy and the provisions of the United States Constitution. 

Our inability to establish basic political and economic governing rules is a serious political weakness.

Short of the power to create radically inclusive political and economic systems to ensure a livable world, we’re limited to addressing individual environmental harms: one river at a time, one permit at a time, one polluting corporation at a time, one species at a time, one regulatory decision at a time and one environmental accident at a time. It’s all extremely important and urgent work – especially as human-caused environmental crises become more frequent and destructive. Yet at the same time, it’s frustrating knowing that after the cleanup or even when we win a single campaign, the existing power structure remains virtually unchanged.

The major advantage of addressing our democracy crisis – of working on political and economic constitutional changes that widen and deepen the authority of the majority and weaken the power of corporate entities and the super rich –  is that it benefits not only EVERY person working on ANY environmental assault, but EVERY person striving to achieve ANY issue of justice and peace who’ve been historically oppressed and shut out of the decision-making process. Rather than reinforcing the compartmentalization of issues, people and groups, it unifies and magnifies our power. 

The We the People Amendment is one piece of this pro-democracy agenda, but others are also needed.

Critically essential, however, in any effort for a joining together of forces for greater external democracy is the need to internally affirm the voices of those who’ve been historically not included, not heard, not respected. They must be invited and encouraged to assume leadership roles among any coalition or network. The lack of authentic internal inclusion will never achieve the unity and power to create external fundamental self-governance without it. Means and ends must be consistent.

Onward toward creating the world we all deserve.