Direct Action: Will It Disrupt Climate Inaction? with Michael Greenberg

In this Climate Chat episode, we interview Climate Defiance founder and executive director Michael Greenberg on the organization's goals, tactics, and successes, and how their strategy may change given the current administration's attacks on climate action and science. Michael Greenberg is the founder and executive director of Climate Defiance. His work focuses on resisting new fossil fuel infrastructure and making climate change a top issue in American politics. Michael and the team’s work has been profiled in the New Republic, New York Times, Washington Post, the Guardian, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, and hundreds of other sources. In just two year, Climate Defiance garnered over 100 million organic social media impressions and is credited with playing a crucial role in halting drilling on millions of acres in Alaska and pausing new gas export infrastructure. Michael brings over a decade of experience in disruptive direct action. In 2014 he organized 400 college students to face arrest in protest of Keystone. In 2021, Michael started the Treaty People Gathering, mobilizing 2000 people to the Line 3 pipeline route and drawing coverage in sources like the New York Times and PBS. Michael previously worked at Mighty Earth, where he led actions for campaigns to change the agriculture sector and decarbonize heavy industry. Michael started his organizing career in Omaha, where he led the local efforts to press Tyson Foods to clean up its supply chain. Michael graduated from Columbia University with a degree in economics. Climate Defiance website: https://www.climatedefiance.org Follow Climate Defiance on X/Twitter: @ClimateDefiance Follow Climate Defiance on Bluesky: @climatedefiance.bsky.social ---------------- Please Like & Subscribe! Dan Miller has been giving talks around the world on the need for urgent climate action for over 20 years. He is co-founder of The Roda Group, a climate-tech venture capital group, and he serves as an advisor for other climate funds and climate-focused non-profit groups. He started Climate Chat in 2021 on Clubhouse and moved to YouTube in 2023. Follow Dan Miller on X/Twitter: @danmiller999 Follow Dan Miller on Bluesky: @danmiller999.bsky.social and @climatechat.bsky.social Leon Simons is a climate scientist based in the Netherlands. He was a co-author with James Hansen on the 2023 "Global Warming in the Pipeline" paper that discussed the recent acceleration in global warming. Leon's work has focused recently on changes in aerosol emissions from ships and the impact of those changes on climate change. Follow Leon on X/Twitter: @LeonSimons8 and Bluesky: ‪@leonsimons.bsky.social‬ Follow Stacey Randecker on X/Twitter: @DrivingMzStacey and Bluesky: @bikingmzstacey.bsky.social Follow Eli Rabani on X/Twitter: @radsci and Bluesky: @radsci.bsky.social For more Climate Chat episodes, see our YouTube home page: https://www.youtube.com/@climatechat For recent YouTube Live Climate Chat programs: https://www.youtube.com/@climatechat/streams