In consultation with the WCCA team and members we have produced four priority themes for 2024-2026. These themes are intended to be broad enough that we do not impose our visions of what a better future looks like upon others. Rather, our approach is to listen to what communities tell us are their most pressing issues amidst the climate crisis, and then help them campaign for progressive change. (This does not mean that we will not get involved in a campaign if it does not fit into the below categories – so if you have an idea for potentially collaborating with us and it centres around something else, do not hesitate to get in touch with us!)
The income generated by the WCCA from commissioned work (such as running workshops and delivering talks) helps to fund our campaigning activities. We have also received generous grant funding from the following institutions to help us carry out our work:
If you are a part of a grant-making institution and would like to discuss funding our work, please contact us via this form or by emailing info@wccalliance.org.
Click on the headers below to expand further details about each of our themes.
Communicating Climate Change
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Environmentalists, activists and land defenders the world over have been integral to raising public awareness about climate change. However, it is often not communicated in a way that resonates with the working class. While they understand the global risk that climate change poses and the need to take preventative action, goals such as getting to net zero are often too abstract to galvanise people into mobilising for progressive change: for those who struggle to meet their basic needs (or are unable to do so entirely), their priorities are forced to centre around the acquisition of necessities such as paying for their rent/mortgage, food and utility bills, as well as protecting themselves against the direct impacts of climate change such as flooding, fire and droughts – a task that is made harder by the working class having the fewest resources at their disposal in society to protect themselves from the elements.
With that in mind, how best can we communicate climate change to working class communities? Additionally, what can we learn from their communities about the best way to communicate the climate crisis to a broader audience?
The Far Right
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Nationalist and authoritarian forces erode our democratic values, social cohesion, and ability to prevent the climate crisis from escalating even further. Although efforts to counter the far right are not new, their prominent visibility in our media, politics and streets has reached unprecedented levels in recent years. Despite this, the broader climate movement has historically been slow to react to the threat that the far right poses to society.
How can we encourage people to make the link between achieving climate justice and countering the far right – and what are the most effective ways to campaign for the re-establishment of democracy in society?
The Politics of Representation
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Working class people across the world have long been excluded from decision-making processes in society – from local policy making decisions to global concepts such as the just transition. At present, the most influential voices in the climate movement are disproportionately white, middle class and from the Global North – and for as valuable as these perspectives are, this imbalance has resulted in swaths of policy initiatives which do not fully meet the needs of under-represented people. In some cases, it can worsen their living conditions. This has created a culture of retreat amongst many working class groups – with some people feeling that climate politics is not a place for people ‘like them’.
How can we create the conditions for an equal representation of influential perspectives at the local, national and international levels? And how can we establish relatability between the working and professional class, so that both sides can collaborate to enact long-term, meaningful change?
Health
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Climate change impacts health – both physical and mental, in a myriad of ways: excessive light pollution from advertising, air pollution from congested roads, cancer-causing chemicals produced by nearby factories, anxiety about what the future holds, and countless other forms of injustices prevent populations worldwide from living healthy and happy lives. For billions of people – most of whom are situated in the Global South, the continuation of climate breakdown is a death sentence.
In what ways can we help communities to campaign for healthier neighbourhoods? And how can we demonstrate the link between our health and climate change?
The WCCA 