Direct Action: Tree Huggers and DAPL

When I say tree-hugger, what do you think? Is it some hipster with long, unwashed hair who loves the environment? It's probably used derisively, someone to be scoffed at as their heads are in the clouds. But this is an inaccurate idea of environmentalism.

The actual first tree-huggers were 363 men and women in India who were trying to protect their trees in 1730. They were of the Bishnois branch of Hinduism and they died protecting their trees from being used to build a new palace. They literally died whilst hugging their trees. Although they died, their legacy lives on—a royal decree was issued that prohibited trees to be cut from Bishnoi villages.

The Bishnoi tree-huggers inspired another movement in India—the Chipko movement of the 1970s. The Chipko movement also reinforced the importance of women in environmental movements. Although men were at the forefront as leaders, women were the backbone and main supporters. In addition, women were the ones who were most affected by deforestation as deforestation led to a lack of firewood and fodder.

What the Bishnoi tree-huggers and the Chipko movement accomplished was monumental. Unlike the Bishnoi, the Chipko women and activists were able to save their trees on various occasions by holding protests but also just by standing guard over them until the lumberjacks relented and left. From this movement, a larger environmental movement grew that worked to create a socio-economic revolution to put the control of the forests back in the hands of those who lived off of it. In short, the Chipko activists successfully used Non Violent Direct Action (NVDA) or Direct Action to redirect the will of the bureaucracy.

What is NVDA?

It's a form of peaceful protest that directly confronts the matter at hand instead of via electoral processes. An example of NVDA throughout history include the sit-ins during desegregation or other protests. Most, if not all, peaceful civil disobedience is a form of NVDA. Many people turn towards NVDA because they feel unheard of via the 'regular' methods of negotiations, such as petitions, elections, or the court system.

The ruling class require the average person's trust and compliance in order to maintain their power. By subverting the rules and norms, such as by sitting where they are not supposed to or refusing to pay taxes, they are taking away some of the power. Of course, it doesn't necessarily end well for individuals who choose to partake, but here comes the second part of how NVDA works: there is safety in numbers. If enough people protest, are arrested, or killed it either draws attention to their cause to gain momentum or it becomes enough that it threatens the ruling class' grasp on power.

Although NVDA includes protesting, it goes beyond that by showing the injustice in action. So in the case of the Bishnois and the Chipkos, the action showed the injustices directly by drawing attention to lumberjacks who were willing to destroy their way of life. In the case of Rosa Parks, they purposely created a scenario in which they knew a certain injustice would occur to create a spotlight on the injustice in action.

Dakota Access Pipeline: Standing Rock

One of the most well known examples of environmental NVDA in modern US history is the Dakota Access Pipeline. If you aren't familiar with this case, I highly encourage you to look into it. In short, Sioux tribe members and their allies protested the DAPL for various reasons, including but not limited to environmental concerns due to water contamination, desecration of sacred and treaty lands, and crime rates that invariably rise when men are brought to Indigenous lands to drill for oil.

Indigenous youth and members from the surrounding communities as well as high profile activists, such as Shailene Woodley, used NVDA to hinder the construction of the pipeline. They did so in ways such as tying themselves to equipment and delayed the movement for hours at a time. At the height of the protest, thousands of protestors were present. Protestors were faced with sound cannons, attack dogs, and rubber bullets whilst those arrested were subjected to strip and search. Protestors and a social media movement forced the pipeline progress to be halted. Despite the effort, the pipeline was completed in 2017 after ex President Trump signed an executive order to resume the pipeline, thus threatening Indigenous sovereignty.

Two weeks after the completion of the pipeline, a federal judge ruled that the Army Corp of Engineers had not "adequately consider the impacts of an oil spill on fishing rights, hunting rights, or environmental justice, or the degree to which the pipeline's effects are likely to be highly controversial." Yet the same judge had previously declared that adequate attempts to engage with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in negotiations and the tribe had not been responsive. This is one of the key driving points of direct action over electoral action—electoral action takes far too long, and some actions cannot be undone once committed.

Where Does This Leave Us?

A frequent response to being confronted by people engaging in direct action is that "we have a court system! This should be done via civil negotiations." But as seen above, the court system does not favour individuals, especially individuals of colour, and even when it does, it comes too little, too late. Direct action is an effective way to draw attention and apply pressure to a cause when your voice has been cut off. For many Black and Indigenous POC, direct action is the only method left to protest for their rights.

Even if you are unable or unwilling to put yourself in danger or risk imprisonment to be on the front lines protesting, there are many other ways to engage in direct action. For environmental issues specifically, one important way is to disengage with your bank if their divestments include things such as fracking, oil drilling, etc. (check out my piece on sustainable banking here) and to let them know why you are leaving them.

Despite the face of environmentalism remaining fairly Eurocentric, environmental protests have been largely led by Black, Indigenous, and other POC in part because their lives are immediately threatened by corporate actions. As seen in these two case studies, direct action has been and remains a key form of protesting and reforming law to protect the environment as well as a way of life.