People vs. $$$$$

The constitutional crisis that erupted on January 20 sent shockwaves through the nation and the world, unraveling norms with a reckless disregard for law and human life on a scale few had imagined possible. In the weeks that followed, chaos has reigned, punctuated by acquiescence to the administration’s assumed authority. A temporary reprieve has come through the judiciary, which has slowed the free-fall. Yet the assault is far from over—it will persist, adapting and advancing through new channel

This isn’t an overnight phenomenon—it’s the product of a well-planned, meticulously executed, one-sided, 50-year-long battle against democracy, freedom, justice, and equity by elites that favor autocracy and plutocracy to protect their privilege. They have created and now capitalize on weaknesses in our political system and vulnerabilities in our government. Their evil and mendacity will continue until we stop it. Our next and best hope is that the economic and social disruption these plutocrats cause will shift power to truly progressive forces in 2026 and 2028, followed by legislative action that
will correct and repair the damages.

Amidst the political upheaval, carbon emissions and global atmospheric and oceanic temperatures continue their relentless assent. The very same forces that are destroying our democracy are causing and capitalizing on the destruction of our natural world. The stakes are inseparable: If we fail to defend on democracy, we forfeit the fight on climate change. If we lose the battle to stop climate change, we lose our democracy.

We will never outspend the plutocrats—the sheer scale of income stratification in America and the world is almost incomprehensible. But the war for democracy and climate will be won not through wealth, but through people. The majority is on our side, but we don’t engage or support them. We need to regain the center. The only way to reach them is through existing, trusted institutions that serve them.

ecoAmerica has a unique role in the climate solutions effort. We’ve spent the last decade building and supporting a network of 113 national health, faith and community organizations that already reaches out to virtually every community in America. The more we support these organizations, their millions of professionals, and their hundreds of millions of constituents toward climate solutions, the better the chance we have at saving democracy. If you’re into building mainstream support for climate solutions, ping us!