Arizona environmental activists say there's too much at stake to stop their fight

During his nights in jail, Troy Horton spent sleepless hours lying in bed, awaiting his arraignment. Bright lights, noise from other prisoners and a chill in the air kept him awake, more than guilt for the actions that landed him in jail twice.

He described his experiences in municipal jail as “pretty horrible,” but he stood by the acts of protest that led to his arrest.

“What kept me warm, kept me feeling positive was thinking of my great-grandkids. I knew how proud they would be knowing what I had tried to do,” Horton said. “They’re the reason I was there.”

Horton, a 70-year-old former investment advisor, has been arrested twice for trespassing after “politely” tying himself to the front door of a Wells Fargo branch in Tempe. Obstructing the entrance to Wells Fargo was an act of civil disobedience to protest the bank’s fossil fuel investments.

Since 2016, Wells Fargo has invested about $316 billion in the fossil fuel industry. It is the third largest funder, behind JP Morgan Chase and Citi banks, and the second largest investor in fracking, according to a 2023 fossil fuel finance report.

Wells Fargo defends its policies, saying in a statement its investments are "reasonable, given the significant adverse impact that curtailing financing to this sector would have on the U.S. and world economies."

Horton fears that the consequences of a warming atmosphere from burning fossil fuels will endanger the futures of his four children, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

After writing thousands of letters to politicians, attending dozens of marches and rallies and making sustainable changes in his personal life through the years, Horton turned to civil disobedience.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the only way we possibly can make the changes in the time needed is for people to say 'this is unacceptable' and non-violently put our bodies on the line,” Horton said.

Climate activism has been more prevalent across the world in recent years. Young adults are willing to go against the status quo to protect their futures, older Americans are stepping up for the sake of their children and grandchildren and many say they act out of a moral obligation to preserve the planet and humanity.

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Civil disobedience, closer to home

Horton isn’t the only climate activist to view civil disobedience and protests as the path forward.

From throwing food on famous works of art like Just Stop Oil activists at museums in London to tens of thousands of protesters shutting down streets in New York City calling for an end to fossil fuel use, activists frequently use disruptive tactics.

The annual Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change — more commonly known as COP28 — ran from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai.

The conference is an opportunity for global leaders to discuss and seek solutions to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, an ambitious target set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Although COP conferences tend to be a summit for climate protests, this year’s event was unusually quiet.

Speech laws in the United Arab Emirates ban gatherings without prior authorization from the government, restricting protesters' ability to assemble.

Climate activists also believe traveling across the world and burning fossil fuels along the way is counter-productive to the movement.

Activist groups like Scientist Rebellion, an international environmentalist group of scientists and academics, are instead protesting in their home countries and urging others to join the movement.

In an open letter signed by over 1,000 climate scientists, Scientist Rebellion said COP28 will fail to meet its environmental goals but the group believes collective action will better convince global leaders to address climate concerns.

“We need you. Wherever you are, become a climate advocate or activist,” the letter said. “If we are to create a livable future, climate action must move from being something others do to something that we all do.”

Arizona activists like Horton are especially motivated to act as the state is already experiencing environmental stressors.

With the Colorado River’s decreased natural flow, a record-breaking warm summer and prolonged forest fire seasons, Arizona contends with a slew of worsening environmental concerns.

“Arizona is right there at the top. Our temperature increases have been at a greater rate than almost anywhere else in the U.S.,” Horton said. “Arizona should be concerned more than any other state in the country.”

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Young activists fight for their futures

Like many students his age, 19-year-old Ojas Sanghi has looked to those older than him for guidance during this pivotal time in his life. As a computer science major at the University of Arizona, he has started planning for his future, but as climate predictions worsen, he struggles to imagine the trajectory of his life.

“As a kid, you’re surrounded by adults who have gone through their lived experience, telling you about what they had. You’re given this set of perspectives from the older generation of what life is going to look like,” Sanghi said.

“But that’s just impossible because you know there’s the X factor of climate change. None of the older generations had to go through that when they grew up,” he said.

Sanghi is an environmental activist who balances his UA coursework with organizing climate rallies and collaborating with university and Tucson city officials to make sustainability plans.

He is a co-lead of the Tucson chapter of the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition and vice president of UArizona Divest, a student-led organization urging the University of Arizona to relocate its investments in fossil fuels. UArizona Divest estimates the UA has invested $113 million in the industry as of 2023, according to documents provided by the university.

The potential effects of a warming climate take a “deep mental toll” on Sanghi. He often feels helpless, scrolling through the news and social media and seeing the effects of the climate crisis worldwide.

He is one of millions of young people who share the same concerns.

In a survey of 10,000 young people across 10 countries, 59% of respondents said they were very or extremely worried about climate change. Over half reported feeling sad, angry, anxious and powerless.

Many have used these fears to fuel their activism. Young people have rallied behind environmental causes in recent years, especially following activist Greta Thunberg’s youth-led "Fridays for Future" climate strike.

After Thunberg skipped school every Friday to protest Sweden’s climate inaction in 2018, millions of people have participated in global strike events every September. An estimated 6 million people participated in September 2019 during the movement’s Global Week for Future.

The Global Week for Future strikes made it to Tucson, where Sanghi and activists from the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition staged a strike to pressure the city to declare a climate emergency.

By participating in protests and collective action, Sanghi and other activists say they have alleviated their fears.

“The primary thing you feel at a climate strike is community and solidarity. You go to a climate strike, and you’re surrounded by people who feel the exact same way you do,” Sanghi said. “You feel like you’re changing conversations around the world, and you’re a part of the solution to the climate crisis.”

In 2020, the Tucson City Council declared a climate emergency, which Sanghi attributes to work activists have done to sound the alarm. The council asked Sanghi and Arizona Youth Climate Coalition members to be community partners in developing its climate action plan.

The city aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, meaning it will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing and offsetting emissions by absorbing harmful gasses.

“It’s a big step. Our constant rallying, striking, lobbying and pressure got us here,” Sanghi said.

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'The children need us not to get discouraged'

Some 55 years ago, Hazel Chandler was flipping through a magazine while she nursed her newborn son. She read an article written by a fossil fuel executive who said if humans continue burning fossil fuels, the planet would be in jeopardy in the second half of the 21st century.

The article terrified her. Looking down at the baby in her arms, she worried not only for her son’s future but for her future grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This was the moment that inspired Chandler to become a climate activist, and she said she has worked tirelessly in the decades since.

While youth activists like Sanghi act to protect their futures, Chandler is one of many older Americans who become climate advocates to protect their families. Even though they may not live to see the worst effects of climate change, their children and grandchildren will.

Chandler is an Arizona field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force and one of over 1.5 million American parents who want to address air pollution and the climate crisis more broadly to protect their children’s health.

Today, her son is a father and a grandfather, as she predicted. And just as the article predicted, the world is beginning to see the effects of a warming atmosphere.

“I’ve lived here for a lot of years, and it’s always been hot. But the summers and even the winters we’re seeing in the last few years are just unbelievable,” Chandler said. “If we want to have a place in Arizona where we can support life and a good quality of life, we have to take this very seriously.”

At 78, Chandler is at a higher risk of heat-related illness, like many adults over 65. She has considered leaving Arizona for more moderate weather for the first time, but she fears each region will have its environmental problems.

Despite disappointments with court decisions and policy making, Chandler continues advocating for her family’s future.

“I keep a picture of my great-grandbabies in front of me. If I get discouraged and want to quit, I take a look at them,” Chandler said. “My children, my grandchildren, all the children in this world need us to not get discouraged.”

She also tries to focus on the progress the movement has made to stay motivated.

With Moms Clean Air Force, Chandler focuses on awareness-raising events. She has helped organize rallies and press conferences outside courthouses and legislative buildings for Moms Clean Air Force and other environmental organizations.

Moms Clean Air Force mobilizes support for environmentally-friendly legislation, sending thousands of emails and holding meetings and events to persuade members of Congress to act. Chandler participated in the organization's work to support the Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest investment in reducing climate pollution.

Now, Chandler has turned to ensuring money allocated under the act is used responsibly and effectively. She is helping Arizona school districts apply for grants and rebates under the act to pay for electric school buses, replacing gas-powered buses that expose children to harmful pollutants.

“All of us are learning how we can talk about it so it can be heard across the aisle and how we can move the conversation from being a political conversation,” Chandler said. “Climate change impacts us all.”

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A moral obligation to protect the planet

Taylor McKinnon has been an environmental activist for 24 years because he believes “it’s the right thing to do.”

Climate advocates like McKinnon say they want to ensure humanity has a future on Earth, that their kids have access to clean air and drinking water, and that their homes and livelihoods will not be overcome by natural disasters.

Activism has influenced his professional life as the southwest coordinator for the Center for Biological Diversity, a well-known nonprofit that protects wildlife and its habitat, pursuing an active legal agenda to make its cases.

McKinnon has worked on campaigns to phase down federal fossil fuel production, helping organize and participate in protests and actions related to federal oil and gas leases going back to the Obama administration.

He believes nonviolent civil disobedience and protests are not only essential to climate activism but integral to America’s identity.

“In the course of history, the betterment of American democracy and betterment of our legal system has at times required people to break the law,” McKinnon said. “Being involved with protests revealed to me how commonly that’s understood among Americans. It’s part of our culture.”

Despite their good intentions, the activists who opt for civil disobedience receive mixed reactions from the public.

According to a survey by the University of Pennsylvania of 1031 people, 46% of respondents say disruptive actions decrease their support for efforts to address climate change, and about 40% say that these acts do not affect their support either way.

Activists walk a fine line between getting their message out and soliciting concrete change from government leaders while not discouraging support from the general public.

“I may be an eternal optimist, but I think we are capable of great things as a species, and we’re capable of overcoming this,” McKinnon said.

There have been multiple causes throughout human history that were bolstered by widespread, nonviolent action.

According to a Harvard study analyzing every violent and nonviolent mass action between 1900 and 2006, nonviolent movements proved more successful. Researchers found a small critical mass was needed for success, with 3.5% of the population in support.

Even in movements that were not immediately successful, civil disobedience encouraged moderates and reformers in power to gradually initiate change.

“There’s dignity in going down swinging. This is what our society needs to do,” McKinnon said. “The warnings are clear, the physics are clear, the carbon math is clear. We will continue to fight for what science says society needs to do.”

Advocates like Horton believe pressuring world leaders to enact stronger policies and provide funding to transition from fossil fuels through protest and civil disobedience is even more essential moving forward.

“In the short time frame that we have in order to stop burning fossil fuels, nonviolent civil disobedience is the best chance that we have,” Horton said. “The activists that are doing these sorts of things are not the criminals.”

“But I would be shocked if I don’t risk arrest again,” Horton said.

Hayleigh Evans covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Send tips or questions to hayleigh.evans@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Climate activists in Arizona say they will keep fighting for action