Joy is Sustainable

Insight into Dominique Palmers’ Journey into Climate Justice Activism and Advocacy. 

Q1: How did your journey into climate activism begin? 

My journey into climate activism was slow. It was more of a drip feed of events and experiences throughout my life. As a child, I was always curious about the world and being in nature. I’d always had an affinity with animals and tried to go vegetarian when I was very young – even though I couldn’t cook yet, so it didn’t last very long. I’d always felt this sense of justice. I was a part of different initiatives and fundraisers on human rights. Being a human rights lawyer is what I had wanted to do to protect and defend others. So there was a strong sense of justice instilled in me from a young age.

Experiencing societal inequalities of race and class radicalised and shaped how I saw the world. 2018 is where I started learning a lot more about the climate crisis. I saw the IPCC report¹ that had been released that year and started doing my own research. I had also gone vegan at this point. But I still hadn’t truly connected the climate crisis to the larger picture, including its relationship to human rights.  

I was living in Lewisham at the time when I realised there was a disparity when it came to those suffering from toxic levels of air pollution. It was mainly Black and brown communities facing the brunt of this unequally in London, across the UK, and around the world. I began to see how these societal issues were inextricably tied to the climate crisis. I spoke to people and parents who were really concerned about their children growing up with stunted lung growth. This is where things really began for me. I started speaking to those in the community, thinking about how we could get these environmental issues on the agenda and get people talking about it, and I connected that to climate justice at large, globally. I have family in Jamaica and had started hearing about and seeing more of the impacts, such as rising sea levels and increasingly frequent and severe weather events. Some of which we have seen recently.  

I saw a leaflet one day about an Extinction Rebellion youth group action that was happening in London. I joined them and this is when my journey into activism took off. I was excited that people were talking about the issue, that mobilisation was happening, and the energy was electrifying. Immediately after joining Extinction Rebellion Youth, I joined the youth strike started by Greta Thunberg in Sweden at the time. We started organising in London. Being a part of both movements has really shaped my journey into activism and I’ve never looked back since.   

Extinction Rebellion protesters of all ages joined a youth-inspired "Reclaim Our Future" march. London, UK. 16th October 2022

Q2: Is there anything you wish you were told before you became a climate justice activist? 

One thing I wish I was told is that you can be a climate activist and truly embrace your authenticity and who you are. You don’t have to minimise yourself and speak or dress in a certain way to be taken seriously. This is something that was really prevalent in my life as a young Black woman. Feeling that I had to fit into certain spaces, especially if they were very white. I wish I was told to take up space and be confident. And that you don’t have to burn yourself out into the ground to be considered a good climate activist, or to create change. I had to learn this the hard way and it completely changed how I do activism. I now focus on what inspires more joy, as well as being in spaces where I feel safe. Joy is sustainable and we’re going to need it if we’re in this for the long run.  

Q3: How would you describe your time at the 30^th Conference of Parties (COP)? How does it compare to previous climate change summits and negotiations that you have been to?  

COP30 was the first COP I had been to in two years. I skipped two of the previous ones as the fossil fuel industry had such a huge presence within the presidency itself. I felt it wasn’t the place for me to be, and I was very frustrated. This is a COP I decided to go to because it had a record amount of Indigenous participation and it took place right next to the Amazon – a perfect example of what is happening in the world. This beautiful ecosystem that we need to thrive and survive, and the Indigenous communities that are safeguarding biodiversity are still not being given their rights and being pushed off of their land. The same is true of Indigenous communities around the world. This joint exploitation of nature and people is an example of what is happening on a larger scale.   

I helped organise the Climate Live entertainment and culture pavilion. This was the first COP where culture and cultural heritage were on the agenda, and considered as one of the main thematic days alongside topics such as health. This hasn’t happened before, making COP30 also the COP of Culture. We brought together so many different ministers and environmental activists and defenders leading movements on the ground in Brazil, and tried to bridge these gaps and mobilise energy for the policy action we needed to see. Inside the conference, we were still at a point where there were so many fossil fuel lobbyist to the point where almost 1 out of 32 participants were fossil fuel lobbyists, taking up more space than entire countries at times. It doesn’t make sense for those who are setting fire to the house to be there speaking about how to extinguish the fire. All whilst blocking and delaying progress, funding climate denial, and being very obstructive to climate progress.

Unfortunately, this was another example of this. There were some things that came out of the conference, such as the Together for Forest fund, more focus on Loss and Damages, and Indigenous people pushing to be recognised. This was something that they literally and physically had to push for. There were huge protests taking place. It was the most militarised COP I had had ever been to. This was to stop mainly Indigenous protestors from entering. It didn’t feel like the COP we had been promised, especially with bad faith actors still being allowed in the room. On one of the days, there was a fire that started right next to the pavilion. It felt like an example of what was happening at the conference. Where there’s a lot of oil, there’s fire.  

Good things still came out of the pavilion where we were. There were beautiful moments. COP as a whole was more disappointing. It depends on where you look at it, or what you’re focused on. I’m very apprehensive about the next COP, until the process is sorted such that fossil fuel lobbyists and other bad faith actors including those leading the animal agricultural industry cannot block change from happening.   

Aerial view of deforestation of a road being built in the Amazon rainforest for the UN Climate Change Conference Cop 30 in Belém, Pará, Brazil.

Q4: What were some wins and setbacks at COP30?  

Some wins were achieved following protests from Indigenous communities. A lot of civil society groups were applying pressure internally, and the government recognised new territories for Indigenous people across Brazil. We also achieved a win that mainly feminists fought for through the Belem Action Mechanism (BAM²). Feminists from all different constituencies and especially the Women and Gender constituency were fighting for a framework within COP that acknowledged a gender action plan. It’s a concrete win that sets out guidelines on women and environmental defenders as key entry points to care. It addresses violence against women and makes important connections between climate and health when it comes to women. Lastly, it drives activities that will enhance this framework across all negotiations. This is really positive because it means it can be driven and implemented at a national level, especially at a time when a lot of women around the world are seeing a rollback on their rights and bodily autonomy, and gender justice is still not seen as a crucial aspect to climate action for decision makers globally. This was such a positive moment that came from feminists, trade unions, environmental organisations, and youth groups.  

One set back was that there was no explicit mention of fossil fuels in the final COP30 text. Fossil fuel lobbyist blocked action, and had the numbers to do so in the conference. This is a setback for me because they are responsible for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. To have this in the final text made no sense in fighting the climate crisis. Although this was a setback, there are now some countries including Colombia who have announced a conference³ that they are holding to phase out fossil fuels. With some countries teaming up to create an alternative solution, it shows that we aren’t just waiting around for the COP process to get better and kick polluters out.  

Q5: You’re also a Treaty Champion for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. What is the significance of this treaty and where are we at in terms of building public and political support?  

The Treaty⁴ is an incredible initiative following what we previously had, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to look at fossil fuels as weapons of mass destruction as well. Considering the amount of harm they are doing to people, planet, ecosystems, to displacing communities, creating oil spills, human rights abuses, and more. It’s taking fossil fuels and looking at it as something that has to go in order for life itself to continue and thrive. It is also a call coming from those most affected. One thing that’s amazing about the Treaty is that it’s being spearheaded by communities like the Pacific who are on the frontline and risk losing their entire land, culture, family, and history. For them, this is a fight for life. Those pushing for this transition and this treaty, are on the frontlines of this crisis.  

The Treaty is also mobilising in many places across the world. Different cities are signing onto the Treaty. Although it’s led by members of the most affected communities, it’s also being signed on by people in the Global North. There’s now real energy coming out of COP and other moments that have been built up through this movement, to have a revolution for a fossil fuel free future. I think this is a great way to harness an alternative. The Paris agreement wasn’t enough, and didn’t mention fossil fuels. So this Treaty has been another way of finding a real alternative, and it’s managed to get many governments on board to sign this Treaty and commit to a phase out. It’s in a really good place and I’m excited for the future of the Fossil Fuel Treaty.   

Q6: What needs to change within and beyond the environmental movement itself to draw more people in and create the cultural shifts that we need? 

I love harnessing music and the arts. One thing I’m part of is Climate Live⁵, and we use the power of music to engage, educate and empower people to take action. In the climate movement, the idea of activism is still intimidating to some people. They’ve seen examples of action and think that if they cannot sit and block a road or be the perfect environmentalist who only runs off of solar and wears no clothes, without any inconsistencies whatsoever, that they cannot join. They don’t know the different kinds of skills and people and experiences that we need. For a lot of people of colour, they don’t know that the movement is a safe place for them to be where they’ll be embraced and accepted. So music has an opportunity to harness a new audience.   

I’ve been engaging artists such as Billie Eilish and Massive Attack to get more fans onboard, and mobilise audiences such as K-POP fans. Music connects people so deeply. Art and cultural institutions do the same. They touch people’s hearts in ways that facts and figures can’t. More broadly, cultural power opens up ideas of what’s possible and what the climate activist space can look like – including how we can get more creative, and communicate in ways that speak to people and bring them on board. I think it’s a beautiful thing to be harnessed. Many different art institutions are still sponsored by fossil fuel companies. Some such as the British Science Museum have recently dropped those sponsorships. Not only do they have a responsibility, but they’re in a powerful position to influence and create change, and direct resources where they should be.  

Culture is everything. It’s where we live. Fashion, music, art, they all reflect society and vice versa. They’ve always been a huge part of revolution. The same can be done for the climate movement. I love being at the intersection of music and climate because it also lets me be more of myself, and bring my authentic self into this work. I can have more fun with things and create an environment that keeps people coming back.   

Climate Live event 2021.

Q7: Music creates these shared moments that naturally bring people together. Could you talk about what art and music means to you in the context of finding joy and hope in the climate crisis?  

When I went through my period of burnout after COP26, I stopped engaging in the things I loved outside of climate. I used to train in musical theatre. I’d always loved music. I’d dreamed of being an actor, being creative and producing my own music. I put all of that on hold as I felt I couldn’t do both, or if I was seen as being creative, I felt that I wouldn’t be taken seriously when speaking on climate. For me personally, it’s been a freeing moment to be back in touch with who I truly am and express myself in that way.

I also found that it’s helped sustain me. It can get tough trying to organise for climate justice and the future we need. Being in spaces that are joyful, and doing things that shake the status quo or traditional forms we’ve settled ourselves into, has been an amazing thing. It’s helped me to continue what I do, grow, and maintain my wellbeing. I feel that being in touch with my creative side again has been beautiful. It’s allowed me to think outside the box in terms of engaging more people and using the influence and power of culture to put pressure on our politicians and leaders.