Summary Of How To Blow Up A Pipeline

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Radical action needed to fix society. Andreas Malm’s provocative essay entitled “How to Blow up a Pipeline” delves into the complexities surrounding controversial positions on climate activism and the effects of direct action. In his work, Malm presents a claim that the traditional forms of protest and advocacy are insufficient in successfully combatting the urgent threats of climate change. His argument centers on the idea that tactics such as sabotage and disruption may be necessary to force action on climate issues. He supports his argument with evidence drawn from historical and contemporary examples, where he highlights prior examples in which direct action has achieved significant results. However, as Malm progresses into chapters two …show more content…

There is a call to action here, as at the end of the chapter, he discusses another crucial element that we face: time. Within chapter two (“Breaking the Spell”) of Malm’s argumentative book, he explores the central question of why, despite the growing awareness of the urgency of climate change, society seems to be paralyzed in the face of it. His primary warrant in this chapter is that the current strategies and tactics employed by the environmental movement are inadequate in the face of the urgency of climate change, arguing that to effectively combat it, drastic action is needed.1 Malm begins by criticizing peaceful protests and civil disobedience, arguing that they have not produced meaningful change in the fossil fuel industry. He believes these tactics are too mild and ineffective against powerful corporate interests, highlighting the failure of peaceful protests. A prime example of this was seen when Malm discussed the Keystone XL Pipeline protests. All protests were peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience, no violence was

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