Keynote Speaker: June Sekera

As the effects of global climate change become inescapable, public opinion is shifting: climate denialism is in retreat. But on the rise is what Bill McKibben has called “predatory delay.” Behind the scenes, out of the public eye, market and corporate interests are getting Congress to enact subsidies to the fossil fuel industry in the guise of “climate mitigation,” sucking up scarce public resources, thwarting efforts towards energy transformation and handcuffing us to fossil fuels for years to come. Members of Congress – even progressive climate activists – have passed legislation that serves the needs of finance capitalism but is taking us down the wrong path.
We need a new roadmap, new tools and a new vocabulary for talking about how we must effectively stop our dependence on deadly fossil fuels.