Activists from across the province gathered north of Squamish over the weekend (Nov. 6 to 8) to participate in a Greenpeace workshop on civil disobedience.
"A tactic like civil disobedience, which is responsible for most of the environmental and social rights we have today, is a tactic that, I think, needs to be employed and people should learn how to do it safely and effectively," said Greenpeace activist and author, Mike Hudema.
About 60 climate change activists gathered at Evans Lake for the workshop, the fifth in a series of six nationwide sessions where Greenpeace advocates teach non-violent direct approaches and action planning methods.
Hudema said the weekend workshop was designed to educate people on what they could do to push government towards achieving serious change on environmental policies.
"We're going over a whole host of what's in your toolbox to create change. So everything spanning the spectrum, from lobbying to direct action, but definitely a big focus of the camp is on civil disobedience," said Hudema.
Workshop attendees learned about historic examples of civil disobedience including the revolutionary efforts of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Climate action activist and workshop participant Sean Delvin said he signed up for the workshop because he wanted to learn more about what he could to alleviate the growing climate crisis.
"I've been hugely disappointed by the inactivity that's been happening an the federal government level and really feel that when I look through history and I see the greatest injustices that have been defeated in the last century, civil disobedience played a crucial role in that."
The Climate Action Network Canada outreach organizer said he's been an involved climate change action for years because he said he realized the climate crisis is huge problem that exists now, and not just in the foreseeable future.
"For so long we perceived climate change as something that was happening in the future, and I think as soon as I realized that this wasn't something in the future, this is something that is happening now, in my backyard. I realized there is a huge injustice there," said Delvin.
"The people least responsible for [the climate] problem are also most burdened by the impact," he added.
In one session of the weekend workshop, attendees brainstormed to come up with creative direct action ideas for a mock protest. Participants then put their ideas into action with only a few minutes planning and demonstrated their non-violent methods of protest.
Some activists swarmed the mock government leader at a press conference while others linked arms in an act of non-violence. Workshop organizers acted as security personnel and forcibly removed one protestor after another, to show activists what they might expect if they engaged in non-violent protests.
In a debriefing session, participants highlighted their concerns, which included not having alternate plans and not developing a communications strategy with the media.
"We didn't get a solution across," said one participant.
Another activist added: "I feel it's very important to be articulate, but it's tricky."
Hudema said Greenpeace is hoping to train a few people in methods of civil disobedience and have those individuals go back into the organizations they work with and pass along what they've learned.
"We're hoping to train a few individuals and hoping that will grow and lead to action and eventually lead to our government taking action in Copenhagen."
The United Nations will be hosting a conference on climate change in Copenhagen Denmark next month, and Hudema said this conference could have a life-altering effect on humanity.
"Definitely Copenhagen is one of the most important climate talks that we've ever seen, and really in many ways the fate of our planet could be held in the balance as a result of the success or failure of those talks."
As a long time environmental activist, Hudema said he strongly believes the only thing that will get this Canadian government to act is nationwide civic pressure.
"And that needs to come from coast to coast to coast in Canada," said the Edmonton-based activist.
Hudema said he believes the tar sands of northern Albert serve as the greatest impediments to Canada taking any significant action against global climate change.
He said it's unacceptable that tar sand infrastructure such as the Enbridge pipeline and the Gateway Projects are being built in B.C.
"It's a direction we can't go down if we actually want to protect this planet because it will further escalate a dirty, destructive and dangerous tar sands industry that has currently poisoned communities."
Hudema said the greatest cure for despair is action, and he encourages Canadians to demand change from the government.
"Take responsibility for the communities that we've poisoned due to the fact that we've relied so heavily on a fossil-fuel-based economy, and start moving to greener industries.
"Start investing in green jobs and start building a future that our children can live and breathe in."
