Embrace Pragmatism

Progressives are caught in a trap of their own making. In an era of overlapping and mutually reinforcing crises, they have come to view every issue — climate change, public health, energy, inequality, trade, and war —as part ofa single, all-encompassing political battle: the “everything struggle.”

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At first glance, this approach may appear compelling. These issues really are interconnected, and no one lives in isolation. But forcing every cause into a single battle has serious downsides. Arguing that reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions also requires abolishing capitalism, rethinking gender categories, and freeing Gaza is a formula for political paralysis, Even if each individual fight is worthy on its own, combining them often undermines the broad coalitions needed to achieve meaningful progress.

Progressives would do well to keep this in mind ahead of November’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. After the lacklustre summits in oil-rich Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates, many activists are hoping that COP30 will mark a return to progressive principles. In that spirit, thousands of climate advocates are expected to descend on Belém for the so-called Peoples’ Summit, a gathering of civil-society and climate groups held in parallel with the official negotiations.

Given today’s economic turmoil and escalating geopolitical tensions, the chances of global policymakers producing a bold climate plan at COP30 are slim. But even if they succeed, the broader climate fight is bound to fail without public support.