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Ecocide in Palestine

Presentation & discussion about current events, environmental harms,

climate justice & solidarity. Welcome!

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A note on positionality:

Those of us who are presenting this event are euro-americans without ties to Palestine, or the stolen indigenous lands on which we reside.

Today, we inhabit the east coast of Turtle Island, specifically homelands of the Massachusett,

Wampanoag, Nipmuc, and other

enduring indigenous peoples.

We stand in solidarity with struggling & oppressed peoples, climate-vulnerable peoples, & the planet itself.

We are responsible for one another, for generations

to come after us, and for the future we must build.

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Questions to consider!

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Amanda - Again with this connection between environment and people is climate justice, the idea that climate change impacts more vulnerable populations that are having little to no impact on climate change itself. We can see this in the map on the right where the top shows CO2 emissions, bottom shows impact by climate change. REd is greater emissions and impacted by climate change, blue is less and less impact by climate change. Generally the global north is producing more emission but less impacted by climate change. Maybe that’s a result of the types of economies. If a a country is more dependent on agriculture for example, drought, floods, storms are going to impact people’s lives more than say places where folks are more in office jobs for example. Could also be a matter of global north knowingly producing more emissions and having the money to take actions to minimize effects of climate change, global north not producing as much so why would they take action? Emissions don’t just stay in the area they’re produced. Often this is a result of a dominating culture of exploitation, division, and extractivism. You know those with more money have the “influence” to put in factories and highways and such areas that breed pollution in areas with poorer populations resulting in greater impacts to those people relative to wealthier folks.

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Zeytoun & their Importance

Olive trees can live to be thousands of years old, but they don’t start producing fruit until 20-30 years old. Native only to the Mediterranean Basin

Deforestation has negative impacts on soil erosion, local air quality & temperatures, climate change, etc…�Olive trees however are major carbon sinks, particularly older trees. “The olive tree absorbs 11 kg of CO2 per liter of olive oil produced.”

The oldest olive tree in the world is estimated to be 4,000-5,000 years old – Al Badawi in Bethlehem. This tree still produces olives!

Olive oil is a staple in the diet of millions. What would we do if all the olive trees of Italy, Greece, or Spain were destroyed?

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Ecocide in Ukraine

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Questions to consider!

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First, let’s all start with a grounding breath or two. As you hold space, connect with your body and mind. How is your body feeling at this moment? Is there tension in your muscles, joints? What is going through your mind at this moment?

Share names and pronouns. What did people learn in the event? People might share new insights, stories or moments that were particularly moving. People might also share points that resonate with their own lived experiences and knowledge.

What did you learn from the presentation and panel that you wish everyone knew? Is there anything you found yourself unlearning/relearning that may have been taught differently (through schooling, news, family, etc)?

Finally, let’s ground ourselves in action. Invite people to share how this new information/event will move them to action. Is there an action or change that you can make to be in solidarity with Palestine and other environmentally- and climate-vulnerable people? What next steps do you feel compelled to take?