Voices of Climate Activism
In an exclusive interview, Adrienne Drobnies discusses her contributions to a book about climate activism.
December 19th, 2024
Poet and scientist, Adrienne Drobnies, lives in Vancouver.
Drobnies delves into her journey co-editing Standing on High Ground, the book’s diverse voices, stories of activism, the impact of civil disobedience, challenges in climate action, and inspiring public engagement.
Edited by Rosemary Cornell, Adrienne Drobnies, and Tim Bray, Standing on High Ground: Civil Disobedience on Burnaby Mountain (Between the Lines $29.95) highlights the stories of 25 individuals who participated in non-violent protests against the Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX) since 2014, many of whom faced arrest … and some who were arrested. The book profiles a diverse group, including Indigenous leaders, scientists, faith leaders, artists, and everyday citizens. These narratives speak to themes of moral responsibility, government-corporate collusion, violations of Indigenous Law, and unsustainable worldviews, underscoring the urgent need for climate activism. Throughout the book, Drobnies and her co-editors emphasize that anyone can take a stand in the fight for climate justice and a sustainable future.
In the following interview, Drobnies tells how this book came to be, her personal commitment to combating global warming, civil disobedience as a powerful tool for change, and more.–Ed.
BCBookLook: What inspired you to take on the role of editor for Standing on High Ground, and how did your personal views on the climate crisis shape your approach to this project?
Adrienne Drobnies: My co-editors Rosemary Cornell, Tim Bray and I had attended protests against TMX, and Tim was arrested on the first day of the mass arrests in March, 2018. I was a longtime colleague and friend of Rosemary, and both she and Tim live nearby, though I didn’t yet know Tim when the idea of the book came up in 2022. I had told Rosemary I would like to use my skills as a writer and editor to do what I could to support activism against global warming and the fossil fuel industry. It is my personal view that this is the most critical issue of our times. Inspired by those who had been arrested in the resistance to the TMX pipeline, Rosemary proposed that we should bring their stories together in a book that would honour their sacrifice and commitment, and show others how they could act to decrease the destruction caused by global warming. We had an initial Zoom meeting with some of those interested in the idea, including Mairy Beam, who had written a play about the resisters and offered to share the court statements they had collected from those arrested. Tim stepped up as a serious partner in the project and away we went. I went back and looked at my emails from the time, saying I thought I could devote a couple of hours a week to the project. Well two years later, I can say it has been much more than that for all three of us, and it has also been one of the most satisfying efforts of my life.
BCBL: The book highlights a diverse group of individuals. What was the process of selecting and curating these stories, and how did you ensure a wide range of voices and perspectives were represented?
AD: We made it our intention to do that. We knew how critical and vital Indigenous leadership had been, and we wanted to make sure Indigenous voices had a place of prominence in the book. We saw that many of those arrested were older people who could afford the time and take the risk, but we also wanted to make sure that younger people, whose strength and passion are so important to the struggle, got to tell their stories. Similarly, we wanted to make sure that those with more and less privilege had a say, and that people of colour were represented. In the end it wasn’t hard to be inclusive because the fact is that it is a truly diverse group of people who stood up against TMX.
BCBL: Were there any particular stories in the book that stood out to you on a personal level? If so, why?
AD: There were many stories that moved me to tears every time I read them. Jim Leyden’s struggle against the racist judicial system and his heinous mistreatment in prison angered and saddened me, as I’m sure it will everyone who reads his story. His courage and dedication as Watchman at the Watch House on Burnaby Mountain were astounding.
Others that affected me profoundly were Emilie Smith’s prison narrative, Romilly Cavanaugh’s decision to leave her role as environmental engineer at TMX and join the resistance, and Tama Ward’s court statement to the judge that “there are many things a parent can endure, as I am sure you can appreciate, Your Honour, but watching your kids lose hope isn’t one of them.” The story of Zain Haq fighting deportation for taking a stand against TMX is a notable one. But truly every story has its power.
BCBL: How did working on this project deepen your understanding of civil disobedience as a tool for climate activism?
AD: I came to appreciate the truth that if a critical mass of people stood up against destruction and injustice that the power was there to change the world, and that they would win, if not in this particular fight, then one day, and hopefully before it is too late. Collecting and editing these stories gave me massive amounts of hope in the face of despair!
BCBL: How do you think the stories in this book challenge conventional ideas about heroism, especially in the context of ordinary individuals stepping into activism?
AD: Exactly that! Heroism is the quiet action of ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things.
It’s about how the deep, slow work of transformation on an individual level becomes collective action that ends up changing the world.
BCBL: What challenges do you see in sustaining the momentum of climate activism, and how can books like this contribute to long-term change?
AD: This book puts the fight against global warming in general, and TMX in particular, in a historical context of other struggles that adopted civil disobedience as their main strategy, such as the Civil Rights movement in the US. This is covered in an essay we included, written by Prof. David Tindall (UBC Sociology). It also made me more aware of efforts globally to fight the fossil fuel industry and governments who have completely sold out to them. Elizabeth May gives a vivid account of this story for Canada in the book. Shining a bright light on the crassness and corruption involved in that industry-government axis is essential. Civil disobedience grows the moral conscience of a community and gives people the leadership tools they need to move forward in sustained, creative and peaceful ways.
BCBL: How do you hope this book will influence public opinion or inspire action against projects like the “TMX” pipeline?
AD: This book will not let the gross degradation to the environment, the climate impacts, the violation of Indigenous rights, and the obscene cost to the public purse that the TMX project represents simply fade out of public consciousness. To anyone who feels hopeless or helpless about climate change, I believe this book will help them understand the cure for despair and the only way forward is action! For young people filled with dread, they will find an ally in contributor Emily Kelsall, who turned her dark eco-anxiety into action that was both hilarious (T-Rex against TMX!) and personally transforming. I want everyone to know they have the power to act – and that nothing is more important or satisfying than being part of the solution.
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