Andreas Malm, professor of human ecology in Sweden by day, internationally considered a rockstar of the climate movement by night. Loved and hated, the FBI issued warnings about his book How to blow up a pipeline and made Andreas a name for himself as one of the most original thinkers of the climate movement. Parisonline went looking for the man who claims that we need a climate movement that’s not afraid to get high and eat the rich. Take part of this trippy Zoom meeting and get to action :)
Andreas has claimed that Sweden, proud home country of Greta Thunberg, is “the sickest country in the Global North as headquarters of climate fatalism - the idea that it’s too late to do something about climate change. Through a crackling phone line I read him one of his own quotes:
Climate fatalism is for those on top. The most starry-eyed renewable energy entrepreneur, the most self righteous believer in veganism, the most compromised-prone parliamentarian is infinitely preferable to the white man of the North who says ‘we're doomed - fall in peace’. Within the range of climate denial, none is more despicable.
Andreas laughs but then states: "There is no scientific evidence whatsoever for the idea that what we're doing now makes no difference. That climate change is happening and causing disastrous damage does not change the fact there is still a lot of suffering to be avoided.” With the planet filled to the brim with CO2, he argues that our actions count more than ever. “Every gigaton matters, every single terminal and pipeline and SUV car and superyacht makes a difference”, as all of the above might be the drop that makes the cup runneth over and triggers a natural disaster. In that sense, global warming is a loaded gun pointed at the most vulnerable. Andreas sighs and continues: “Climate fatalism is formulated from a position of privilege by people who can look the catastrophe right in the eye but decide to do nothing, because they have the resources to make it. Therefore I think it's slightly irritating to say that it's just as well to give up…”
According to him, even the climate movement in the Global North suffers from inaction. Extinction Rebellion, in the general discourse considered radical, are by Andreas criticized for positioning themself “beyond politics” and for having sworn fidelity to the non-violence principle. A standpoint speaking of a fetishation of their own purity rather than of a sober choice of tactics. To refrain from sabotage is to refrain from pointing out the real source of the problem, Andreas argues.“It is the rich that drive the emergency, a climate movement that does not want to eat the rich will never hit home. Without social anger it will end up alienating the people who have the least to gain of business-as-usual.”
How to blow up a pipeline is in many ways a literal call to arms. Pipelines and SUVs, not only sources of CO2 emissions, are as property the very representation of the white power structure; as for why the suffragettes or the civil rights movement took to property destruction and gained success from it. Andreas suggests that we do the same, by taking advantage of the general vulnerability of energy systems and use small means to disrupt entire powerplats. Or, by cutting up the tires of an SUV as described in his book:
“Unscrew the cap on the valve of the tyre. Inside, there is a pit that will release the air if pushed down. Insert a piece of gravel the size of a boiled couscous grain or corn of black pepper - or, we suggest, use a mung bean - and screw the cap back on. With the little object pressing down the pin inside the valve, the tyre will be fully deflated after an hour.” (JOY: överstrykningspenna över texten)
You often write about the Global North as an entity, but Sweden and France have completely different attitudes towards non-violence and sabotage. In France, property destruction is a natural part of the political resistance. What are your thoughts on the differences of approach in France and Sweden?
“Sweden is politically so extremely behind on all levels. France is the only country in Europe where you get the feeling that things can perhaps change. Because it is the only country that has a living tradition of political resistance and mass protest, unfortunately it rarely leads to victories. The demonstrations against the pension reform led to defeat, and that's how it’s generally been in recent years. In any case, people fight back. In Sweden, that doesn't happen.”
The climate crisis is yet another ugly face of how property is considered to stand above human life. To redraw the map of what’s radical (it’s not Extinction Rebellion) and what’s reasonable (sabotage) when it comes to political resistance, is thus a necessity. Earlier this year, during the demonstrations against the pension reform, France was literally on fire. While the political system is taking a more and more abstract form, the will of the people took a concrete one: windows were shattered and trash was burning. Some would call it vandalism, some would call it taking matters into one's own hands. In Andreas' opinion, there's no point in wasting time debating definitions: “If destroying fences is a kind of violence, it was violence of the sweetest kind. I was high for weeks afterwards. All the despair that the climate breakdown generates on a daily basis was out of my system, if only temporarily; I had had an injection of collective empowerment.”