A piece of protest history was made on Sunday 23 August, when over 50,000 people gathered in Stockholm to demonstrate for the climate. 280 organisations heeded the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s call to bring the climate issue – overlooked by politicians – to the fore during the campaign for September’s elections.
There were trade unionists, school strikers, cyclists, folk musicians, ‘rebel mums’, river conservationists, allotment holders, flea market organisers, train holidaymakers, a music float followed by dancers, Greta’s ‘oldies’, the Tenants’ Association, folk high schools, scouts… I told you the list was very long.
As heatwaves across Europe have had catastrophic consequences and caused at least 200,000 deaths since 2022, anger has also reached boiling point in Sweden. At the start of the summer, a poll showed that the climate is the third most important issue for voters, but this is not at all evident in the election campaign.
Government’s Climate Denial
The current government has, on the contrary, not only fuelled global warming with increased emissions from Sweden but also fuelled climate denial.
This spring, the Climate Policy Council published its fourth highly critical review of the government, concluding that it is quite simply undermining Sweden’s chances of meeting its climate targets. But no political parties are taking up the climate struggle that is needed, which is why it was absolutely essential that the streets of Stockholm were filled with grassroots activism. It was incredibly heartening to meet people from all over the country, some of whom had cycled all the way to the capital.
Socialists Marching
Comrades from Socialistiskt Alternativ (SAV) and the Stockholm Left Alliance (of which SAV is part) marched with banners calling for the climate threat to be taken seriously and for systemic change. To abolish capitalism and shift focus from militarism to climate policy was our theme when selling our paper, collecting signatures and distributing leaflets..
We also highlighted the urgent need for free and expanded publicly-run public transport. Domestic transport is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in Stockholm, with private car use being the main culprit. The need to challenge capital is demonstrated, for example, by a recent investigation by public service radio station P4 Stockholm. It revealed that the region’s public transport programme is set to cost 34 billion kronor more than planned due to consultants and construction firms.
With slogans such as “International solidarity – we only have one planet”, “Change the system – not the climate”, “We want ice cream [“glass” in Swedish], we want ice cream, we want glaciers” and “Some people think – others fill their tank”, the crowds marched through Stockholm. The level of commitment on this day was incredibly moving. The pensioners who had first stood waiting for over two hours for their turn to join the march and then made their way through the march, which lasted over an hour, were worthy of every certificate. Singing sisters Lili and Susie welcomed the marchers at Gustav Adolfs Torg square, with Oh, mama can’t you tell, which they played several times over.
Fantastic creations filled the square, such as the Mothership, the Rebel Mums’ crocheted house and the XR band’s ‘enter’ (walking tree).
In the media, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has pushed so hard for the demonstration to be not only “non-partisan” but also “apolitical” that these appeals sometimes took up almost all the media coverage. But to claim that such a fundamental issue as the climate is apolitical is simply not true.
Greta Thunberg’s Speech
That is why Greta Thunberg’s speech in Vasaparken was so liberating. Greta’s speeches have grown darker and darker, in step with developments in society. The essence of what she says is true, and we must carry the weight of her words with us to remind ourselves that this was not just a huge, wonderful demonstration; it must be the start of an ongoing and far-reaching struggle. Below are excerpts from her speech:
“We are locking ourselves into systems that we know will destroy us. ‘Protect Sweden’ is written on election posters across the country, put up by the very same racist politicians who, without batting an eyelid, would even sell off their own children’s future.
All to maximise short-term economic gain, power for the few, and so that we can continue to numb our anxiety and the utter lack of meaning in our lives with gadgets, distractions and burnout… If there’s one thing we humans are good at, it’s forgetting the lessons of history. We are hurtling towards the destabilisation of the atmosphere on which we all depend for our survival – irreversible tipping points beyond human control that will affect all future generations.
We are dragging all species out of the ‘corridor of life’, as scientists refer to the range of 14 degrees Celsius average temperature that the Earth has maintained over the last three million years. We are criminalising the so-called right to demonstrate – something that has served as a safety valve and a platform for those who do not have access to the pages of opinion pieces to make their voices heard. Journalists say they do not dare to tell it like it is because of the repression. For the most privileged, who happen to be in power, the fire alarm is more unpleasant than the fire itself.
I myself can barely stay in Sweden any longer because of the hatred, threats and violence I am subjected to simply because, as a young woman, I have the courage to say that human rights should not be a fantasy and that we should listen to the scientists. … Our government is historically disastrous for all the values and virtues we are taught to strive for as children.
Yet there is no real opposition. There is no political party that puts forward anything even remotely close to what research says is needed to avoid climate collapse. Furthermore, there is no party that criticises today’s economic and political system, built on injustice and the exploitation of people and nature. But it is worse than that. There isn’t even a single party that challenges the government’s openly fascist and genocide-supporting policies.
Rather, it seems to be turning into a competition to see who can espouse the most racist policies and rhetoric. There is a huge gulf between politicians and voters. There is a huge gulf between scientific research, laws, values and the policies that are actually implemented… It isn’t too late to say ‘stop’.
I’m usually put on as the final speaker to offer hope, but I can’t do that now. I can’t pretend to offer hope when everything is falling apart; I’m far too autistic for that. Hope is something we must create ourselves, and it starts right here with today’s demonstration.”
Our Socialist Programme
Socialistiskt Alternativ (ISA in Sweden) has long been active in the climate movement. Here are some parts of our climate programme:
- Free and expanded public transport across the whole country, run by the public sector. Phase out mass car use and ban private jets.
- Renewable energy managed by the public sector with regulated electricity prices. Wind and solar power developed with environmental considerations and in consultation with local communities. Phase out nuclear power.
- A total ban on deforestation – introduce ecosystem-based forestry.
- Make rental properties climate-resilient and prepare for future climate disasters. Save cities’ green spaces.
- See through greenwashing. Nationalise the fossil fuel industry and natural resources to enable a planned transition, as part of a planned economy.
- Put a stop to private and foreign mining companies and halt new mining operations. Shift towards the reuse of minerals and align mineral production with actual needs.
- Ban capitalism’s ‘use and throw away’ production model. Shift to sustainable production. Develop local initiatives for repair and reuse workshops.
- Implement a climate transition and subsidise agriculture towards locally produced organic farming, with reduced meat production and enhanced animal rights.
- Do away with false ‘solutions’ such as emissions trading. The transition must take place through democratic planning and workers’ control: locally, nationally and internationally, as well as sector by sector.
- Local and global transition of all production, transport and distribution of goods, energy and services through democratic planning and collective ownership to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Society must undergo a fundamental transformation. Abolish capitalism, which exploits people’s labour, fuels oppression and destroys ecosystems. For a democratic socialist world of peace and freedom. From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.
