Not Either-Or, but Both-And

In early July, as we were starting to put this issue together, Joe Biden’s presidential re-election campaign started to fall apart. By late July, as we were wrapping up, he was no longer in the race. They say that one-term presidents are rarely remembered by history. But Biden may prove an exception, at least in green circles.

That’s because his presidency has been the most consequential in recent memory in addressing climate change, one of the greatest challenges the human race has ever faced. Not only did Biden return the US to the international Paris Climate Accord, but he also pushed for the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, a job-building law that has flooded the US economy with incentives for clean, green investments.

However, as this special issue demonstrates, we still have a long way to go. The features and perspectives in this issue are organized around the intersections of labor and climate, those spaces where human health, happiness, and dignity run into the larger forces of a changing world.

Brooke Anderson documents the travails of California workers, including teachers who swelter alongside their students and vineyard workers forced to tend grapes as they choke on wildfire smoke (“Collective Care Coming soon!”). Max Wilbert cautions against the dangers of exploitation in the race for greener industries (“Material Sacrifices Coming soon!”). Paul Krantz describes the trouble that the EV giant Tesla is having with unions and the strong tradition of labor movements in Europe (“Untenable Coming soon!”). Jennifer Ball explores the impact of a warming Pacific Ocean on fisheries and the people who rely on them (“The Silent Sea Coming soon!”). Lauren Hall Ruddell explains the impact of heat on the human body (“Scorched Coming soon!”), and Charles Pekow takes a look at how the BlueGreen Alliance, an organization with 15 million members across both labor and environmental groups, holds together policy consensus (“The Limits of Solidarity Coming soon!”).

These stories ask what kind of world we ought to live in, and work in. What are our fundamental rights, beyond life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? And how do we secure those rights?

These have always been important questions for a democratic society. But they are of major import now, at this crossroads of an election. The world is getting warmer, and we continue to inch toward ecological tipping points.

Meanwhile, most people are justifiably frustrated by the feeling that they aren’t getting ahead, or worse, are falling behind. But as this issue conveys, we are not in an either-or dilemma. With the right planning, and the right thinking, we can find a way to meet the moment, to remake our world, sustainably and equitably. We hope the articles in this issue help point the way.

PS: As part of our intentional work to share leadership, moving forward, the Journal editors will be taking turns writing these letters.