Has the climate movement failed?

Hello, and welcome to what has accidentally turned into a monothematic issue of the Weekly Filet, the newsletter that provides you with the best of the web every Friday.

The reason is quite simple: In this week leading up to the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, I’ve read and watched and listened to almost exclusively climate-related pieces. And so when considering the five best things I’ve seen this week, I ended up with climate only. I’d still say that it’s a diverse bunch of recommendations, giving you five rather different perspectives on how to think about the climate and our moment in time. Hope you enjoy!

1. The case for a more radical climate movement

Andreas Malm is a professor of human ecology in Sweden, and he wants to blow up pipelines. Well, sort of. His argument: The climate movement in its current form will not achieve the drastic changes needed. It needs a more radical wing, one that will literally «destroy the property that’s destroying the planet». In this hour-long conversation, he lays out his case in detail, and responds to obvious objections. Thought-provoking. Start listening now.

2. Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough.

If you’re looking for a brief big-picture summary of where we stand (as a species on this heating planet), this is your article. In fact, they managed to distill everything in a single chart: 1. We’ve made significant progress compared to the horrible pre-Paris trajectory. 2. We’re still far behind what we pledged to do. 3. Those pledges are far from enough. So, yeah, not great. Have a look.