White Supremacy and Climate Change: A Sinister Symbiosis

Last week, Seattle-based journalist Charles Mudede wrote a piece entitled, “The Fact is Nothing is Going to be Done About Climate Change Until it Kills Lots of white People.” Mudede’s overall premise associates the lack of climate action with the fact that white lives are not as directly impacted by the climate crisis. At one point he declares, “What is between climate change and meaningful human action is simply white American lives. As long as they are not directly threatened, we can continue business as usual.” He then points out the difference between the response to those affected by climate-exacerbated storms in Texas/Florida last year, to the lack of a response for Puerto Ricans adding, “Those lives on that island are Black and Brown. They do not matter. Politically, the average white person only wakes up when it’s time to die.” Mudede touches on an issue that few people want to discuss — the relationship between white supremacy and climate change.

Climate change and white supremacy have a thing going on, and we’re not talking a one night stand or two-week fling. They one-upped Jerry McGuire, as they had each other before, “Hello.” The moment their eyes met across the room, they were instant soul mates. #Brangelina, #Beniffer and #TomKat are done, but #WhiClimaSupremaChange won’t be breaking up anytime soon. This, in the words of Sade, is…