Root Cause Remedies

In the fall of 2019, nearly 200 Kiaʻi were arrested during a month of nightly blockades against the largest wind turbines in the nation from being built so close to homes and schools. This would have been the second set of large industrial wind turbines for their small rural community. This week have the serious privilege of speaking with three of those powerful protectors- Sunny Unga, Jessica Dos Santos, and Dr. Tēvita Kaʻili. We discussed their ten year struggle against one of the largest corporations in the world, AES and what it suggests about the complexities of a just transition away from fossil fuels.  And as our guests share, they know the urgency of a transition because as a coastal community, they are already feeling the impacts and burdens of climate change. But energy transition does not mean energy justice. Their struggle makes it clear that the transition to renewables in the hands of corporations is susceptible to replicating the same environmental racism and injustices seen in dirty energy. This conversation was so powerful, we decided to turn it into a two parter so you don't miss out on any of their brilliance.

For season 3 on Root Cause Remedies, we’re digging into Energy Justice in Hawaiʻi and asking how we can move closer towards the goal of “achieving equity in both social and economic participation in the energy system, while also remediating social, economic, and health burdens on those historically harmed by the energy system.” Energy justice, like climate justice and environmental justice, demands ending corporate control of our resources and creating a future defined by self-determination and equity.

In this episode, we're tackling the Hawaiian Electric Company, because we can’t talk about energy in Hawaiʻi without talking about the monopoly that Hawaiian Electric has had over it since the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Then, we’ll dig into what this history means for our understanding of energy justice and how we can achieve it here at home. And youʻre in for a treat, because joining me this week is Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe who is actually the person who dreamed up this podcast.

Thumbnail photo credit: Hawaiian Electric. 

We are getting ready to launch our next season with some powerhouse energy justice advocates and community leaders from Kahuku, Molokaʻi, and Waiʻanae on their work to address the injustices of our energy system. They are the true example of resilience and solutions for a people-centered transition to a clean energy economy that benefits all of us. Take a listen to a snippet of episode one to get a sense of how deeply rooted our energy system is to the injustices of Hawaiʻi's people. 

We couldn't think of a better way to kick off 2021 than with a radical conversation on genuine security without policing or militarization. Many people have a skewed or narrow understanding of what abolition is, including us. That's why we decided to end this season dedicated to the connections between Covid-Climate-and Capitalism with a conversation on abolition as the only way to end institutionalized violence on people and land.  Because we could have added another "C" to our theme for "colonialism," the underlying -ism that our institutions were built from. Shayna Lonoaea Alexander, organizer against mass incarceration and abolition advocate, talks about why abolition is essential to our conversation to end capitalism. She gives voice to the beautiful and distinct meaning it has for Hawaiʻi and how building it within is the first radical shift to reclaiming our relationship with ourselves and one another. 

image credit: n/a , please let us know if you do!

Trump’s made a habit of bending the truth, disregarding science, and fabricating outright lies to feed his own interests and disempower an increasingly dissatisfied public. We see it every day with his handling of coronavirus, and we see it with his denial and disregard for climate change. This week is a bit of a bonus episode because we have our researcher, Carly Rizzuto, on to talk about climate change, disinformation, and corruption. She's an educator and brings us 3 clips that will help us break down the US politics surrounding climate change.

Note: If you are looking for some climate podcasts, Carly's been listening to Green Dreamer, How to Save a Planet, and Drilled. Check them out!

Image source: https://time.com/5293326/peoples-climate-march-donald-trump/

There is so much being thrown around about healthcare lately. Last we heard, Trump is on the move to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Guess his big pharma and insurance industry friends had enough of actually providing services and coverage to people.  But even before Trump, our healthcare system has been far from adequate. Take a listen to a research warrior Ben Sadoski  and who has been taking down corporate interests for over a decade. This episode sheds some light on capitalism's role in controlling our health systems and what's been going down for Kaiser workers. 

Environmental justice principle #8-affirms the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work environment without being forced to choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment. UNITE HERE Local 5 union organizer, Lisa Grandinetti shares the worker's perspective of how the government  and corporations have been responding to the pandemic and the reopening of Hawaiʻi's biggest industry. Spoiler alert- workers are not being listened to or properly cared for by either. 

Today tourism "re-opens" and our first episode of season 2 will be with labor organizer, Lisa Grandinetti. She works for UNITE HERE Local 5- representing around 11,000 hospitality and service industry workers across the state. Listen to her share the critical element missing for our people in this strategy. Tune in tomorrow for the full interview! 

Today we honor the struggle of Kanaka Maoli and all indigenous people's around the world fighting corporate capitalism and colonialism. Here is a clip from Kanaka Maoli Wahine Jamaica Osorio answering the question "what does the political context of Hawaiʻi have to do with EJ today?" Listen to her make the connections and give a snapshot of the fundamental shift from the indigenous perspective of land.  Stat rooted. 

Our next season is a work in progress. Like many of you, we are trying to make sense of how deeply intertwined the pandemic, climate change, and extreme wealth inequality are and of course are rooted in colonization and white supremacy. For this teaser, we are reflecting on how connected our experiences are, not only to a global pandemic, but a worldwide economic system of imperialism that has wrought havoc on our planet and way of life.  So take a listen, let it sink in, and get ready for season 2 where we will dive into how each of these threaten our ʻāina. 

Clip 1- #45- CNN news clip of Trump getting briefed on California's wildfire response and sharing his "expertise" on the science of climate. 

Clip 2- Dr. David Ansell, MD MPH. on centering equity in response to Covid-19. 

Clip 3- Chuck Collins of Institute for Policy Studies shares a new report from the Institute for Policy Studies, American billionaires have seen their wealth grow over $600 billion dollars since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Clip 4: Harvard Professor, author, philosopher, and long-time civil rights activist Brother Cornel West on CNN. Segment titled, "The future depends on how we respond to this moment." 

Clip 5: World Economic Forum-Gita Gopinath, Sharan Burrows, and Jennifer Morgan give some ideas about how the world can change in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.