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As the current government cracks down on restrictions on not only environmental regulations and activist organizing, the youth climate justice group, famous for championing the Green New Deal, is broadening its goals to confront autocratic governance.

“Every day, the administration is seizing power and shredding the nation's founding document,” stated the organization's executive director in a public message. “What everyday citizens do in the next few months will determine whether those in power can solidify control and transform the nation into a exclusive domain for the rich and powerful.”

Unlike most of the movement's previous work, its newer projects will not always focus on the environmental emergency. But, a spokesperson clarified that these actions aim to build a society where climate action is achievable.

“To win the bold action required to prevent environmental disaster, we’re going to need a country where we have the freedom to protest and demonstrate,” she said. “How are we going to succeed in climate amid authoritarianism?”

Primary Initiatives

• Student activism to urge universities to resist efforts to influence their curricula and rules around political dissent.
• Rapid responses to government use of military forces and border measures in cities, and efforts to “infringe on our freedom of speech”.
• Educating youth organizers to “identify autocratic tactics” and resist it using non-violent tactics.

The letter officializes efforts already underway at the organization. Last month, the group helped organize campus protests at several capital colleges to oppose the use of the military reserves and harassment of organizers and immigrants.

Furthermore, regional groups have been taking on community-based struggles for expression rights and immigrant rights. For example, at a campus chapter, organizers have prioritized defending a beloved campus bus driver whose immigration status was revoked by the federal government, leading to the loss of his job after 20 years.

“In order to win a Green New Deal, climate justice, labor justice, racial justice, and more … we’re gonna need to defeat autocratic governance,” said a youth organizer participating with the university group, who characterized the current situation as an “unprecedented expression of fascism”.

Upcoming Plans

Planned actions could include nationwide campaigns to stop immigration enforcement, back city officials standing up to federal pressure, and actions to resist cuts to medical services. The movement will also prepare for a mass youth action on 1 May 2028, aligning with a appeal for a national work stoppage.

The shift arrives years after the movement gained media attention when its activists stormed the headquarters of a leading elected official, calling for the swift elimination of oil and gas, the creation of good jobs, and the strengthening of public services across the US.

“This climate plan is essential for laying out an alternative world from the one that the administration is portraying,” she said. “We’re going to keep talking about that, keep fighting for that vision, but in the immediate future, we need to address their assault on our communities and on our rights.”

This change coincides as climate concerns decline somewhat in priority of electoral concerns in favor of financial matters, though data shows the majority still want to draw down emissions.

“I suspect you’re not going to see a lot of politicians using the word ‘climate,’ because people see that as a nice-to-have [concern], not a must-have, and right now they’re in the essential mode,” commented a previous energy secretary.

Messaging Strategy

Unlike past political campaigns that centered on vague concepts of governance, the movement will focus on the need for major changes, including the exclusion of business influence such as the oil and gas sector from politics.

“We’re being very clear that certainly, we need to protect freedoms to expression, [but] we also need to be focused about reforming our democracy so that we are not in a position where a leader like the current leader can amass control in this manner in the future,” stated the co-founder.

This expansion comes during an comprehensive attack from the White House on both environmental safeguards and progressive organizing. Starting recently, the president has rolled back numerous of climate regulations and removed incentives for carbon-free technologies.

Additionally, recent actions have designated certain activist groups as “threats to security” and issued a directive aimed at controlling what the government calls a radical domestic “activist network”.

Recently, the leader also implied that a prominent philanthropist could face prosecution for unspecified allegations. The movement had previously received funding from foundations associated with the philanthropist.

“We will raise our voices against this autocratic overreach,” declared the lead organizer.

This situation is further emphasized by latest actions suggesting plans in a possible, legally questionable third term.

“We are just seeing outright disregard for our constitutional rights, and we can’t accept that,” concluded the co-founder.