Rising to the Moment: Why the Climate Movement Must Tackle Authoritarianism

Rising to the Moment: Why the Climate Movement Must Tackle Authoritarianism

By: Aru Shiney-Ajay, Sunrise Movement Executive Director In early 2025, Sunrise launched a campaign to make polluters pay for the effects of climate disasters. This campaign had the usual strengths: a focused message, easy to villainize targets, and real opportunities for state-level wins. It allowed us to engage the public directly following climate disasters, when attention to the climate crisis is highest.  But taking the campaign from the dr…