Ever feel like the world is dying and all governments and the mega wealthy are doing about it is funding genocide against indigenous peoples? Me too. But what can we do about it? Inaction at this stage feels like the radical option. Taking action is really the only sane ‘normal’ response.
The Good news is, there is still lots we can do to disrupt this colonial, capitalist dystopian nightmare.
One of the things a group of, mostly young, German activist’s are doing is occupying the forest to defend against the expansion of the Tesla Giga-factory into a protected water catchment forest for Berlin.
Wait, what? Isn’t Tesla the good guys, making electric vehicles so that we are no longer reliant on fossil fuels?
Yeah, nah! Electric cars might seem great but they are built using all newly extracted resources including Lithium, Cobalt and nickel. (I think it goes without saying that we need all the trees to stop climate change, not individual space age cars.)
As with the extraction of any so called resources, Lithium mining has extensive detrimental impacts on the Environment. Producing toxic chemicals that infect waterways, killing wildlife and humans. Everywhere Lithium is mined, such as in Tibet, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Australia, and North America, has been proven to threaten the health of humans and our more than kin.
Colbalt is particularly deadly. Found mainly (roughly 70%) in The Democratic Republic of Congo. Colbalt is still consider relatively easy find, yet workers, including children, dig for it in inhumane and degrading conditions without proper protection, for what amounts to a few dollars a day. The mining process also releases colbalt dust and uranium gas (a known carcinogen) which harms also those living near the pits. Exposure to colbalt causes illnesses such as respiratory diseases, heart problems, cognitive impairment, seizures and Thyroid dysfunction.
Can the West, really accept that the cost of the ‘green transition’ still comes at the cost of so many, mostly indigenous lives and continues to destroy the environment?
The response is to occupy the forest with structures, like pirate ships drifting through the forest, 15-30m off the ground. These beautiful, makeshift cabins, are cobbled together with ropes and salvaged materials.
Forest occupations have been used around the globe as a non-violent direct action tactic. The people of the land called Germany have a strong history of using forest occupations for protecting trees from extractive industries and new roads. One occupation of the Hambi forest has been going for over 10 years. With many evictions and re-occupations. This occupation was ultimately successful in its small patch of forest but did not stop the largest coal mine in Germany from continuing to expand and swallow farms and villages
During my travels in Europe I was able to visit four occupations
The bonus of using forest occupation as a tactic are
- The health and safety laws (depending on which country you are in) usually mean that they cannot cut the trees in the part of the forest you are in and at least not the trees you are currently attached too.
- It’s harder to evict. The police need to bring in special equipment and even their own tactical climbers to remove you.
- It’s a great way to get media attention for your cause and also gives you a platform from which to highlight how it is connected to other important causes.
- It is a beautiful space to then practice building the kind of prefigurative community you want.
- Living with the trees is beautiful and humbling and the rent and sometimes food is free.
- Watching cops try to figure out how to remove you from the tree is hilarious.
- You only need 2 people in the trees to hold the space, but more is better.
- The architectural possibilities are endless and everyone is invited to share creative input.
Downsides
- These occupations take months or even years off commitment. Someone needs to be committed to staying in the trees, but these don’t always have to be the same people. It is good to take breaks, sleep in a safe bed and have a hot shower.
- There are a lot of specialist equipment required for climbing and building, which requires a lot of donations and stealing.
- Evictions can be violent and put people into situations where they feel unsafe.
- As with Hambi, it is limited to how much space it can realistically occupy.
How to
Climbing trees can be lot of fun but potentially lethal. Climbing and building should not be done without proper equipment, knowledge and skilled people who a trained and feel able to preform a rescue, if needed.
The main difference between activist tree climbing and professional access climbing is the level of safety equipment. For access climbing you would always climb on two static ropes (a back up rope for if the first one fails) with specialist equipment that extends when you fall to reduce the impact in the harness. When climbing trees activists usually climb on one semi-static rope (the same for rock climbing) using one caterpillar knot (To rename the Prusik, which was labeled after a Nazi) attached you your harness and another as a foot loop. This felt terrifying at first, but I soon got used to it. If resting I would always attempt to attach myself to a second point with my cowtail.
Basic Resources needed*
*per climber, this list is meant as an overview not a fully comprehensive safety guide
ALWAYS CHECK THE GEAR THOROUGHLY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR WEAR and BUDDY CHECK EACH OTHERS HARNESSES and WELLBEING BEFORE ASCENDING
Climbing harness – most people use a standard one for rock climbing
3 carabiners (minimum) – (EN 362 / EN 12275) Belay carabiner must meet the minimum breaking load (usually printed): longitudinal 20 kN, transverse 7 kN, open 7 kN. Screw close or 3 way automatic. Check also shape, restrictions of use, proper care and storage
8 – for descending
3 caterpillar slings/Reep cord – static material (EN 564). Diameter minimum 6 mm (ascending on a 10mm rope), breaking load according to the i at least 7.2 kN. Cord is also constructed as a core mantle construction. The cord must be an appropriate thickness for the rope it will be on, otherwise the caterpillar knot will not grip. The length of the sling depends on the body proportions and climbers technique.
Cowtail – Dynamic single climbing rope, approx 6.5m or longer. – 2 reep cords (Same rule as caterpillar sings) approx 115cm and 2 smaller screw links, with a distel knot – 2 carabiners for the ends. For a detachable cowail you can use a larger screw link (breaking load 25kn).
Semi Static rope for ascent and abseiling (EN 1891 type A) Diameter at least 10 mm, most commonly 10.5 to 13 mm. Minimum breaking load: without knot: 22 kN1.The elongation in use is a maximum of 5%. It is not suitable for large fall factors. The maximum permissible fall factor with semi-static climbing rope is 0.3. Check proper care and storage instructions.
Polypropylene rope (“Polyprop”, PP): for rope bridges only and building. Structure: Usually twisted from 3 cradles without sheath. Diameter at least 14 mm and breaking load > 29.9 kN according to EN 699 / DIN 83329 / ISO 1346. Polypropylene is particularly sensitive to UV radiation (sunlight). Only the black PP is protected against UV light.
For rescuing yo need to carry an extra, short caterpillar sling, 2 HMS carabiner and 1 oval carabiner, and a tape sling the length of your foot to chest. DO NOT attempt to rescue unless you have been train and feel confident as this could put you both in more danger. DO NOT go climbing without someone who is capable of preforming a rescue.
So now you have built your tree house what’s next?
Community building -Deciding how you will share space, tasks, communicate and make decisions with your comrades. And don’t forget conflict resolution and community care. It is good to have daily meetings and check-ins, especially in larger occupations, to discuss how everyone is doing, what work needs to be done and any issues that have come up while you learn how to share the space together
Keeping the media engaged – After the first days of the occupation media attention is likely to drop off. It is important to make a plan for how to keep the media engaged and at what points in the campaign this is necessary
Fighting the legal battle – hopefully you have some cool people on the group who are using what legal and political processes there are to also block the progress of the people cutting.
Connecting with the wider community – If you have not done so already it is extremely important to connect with the local community and get them on your side. Not only because they can provide food and showers but also because it is their space you are occupying and they know it best. You can attend community events and host community days in the forest.
Talk to the trees – when living in the forest you inevitably become part of the ecosystem. Often attracting more mice and mosquitos to a space as well as creating new paths. Stay curious and pay close attention to what the ecosystem needs, if your presence there is doing more harm than good, then do you really need to be there? Or, is there another tactic that could save the space?
Happy climbing!