From a very young age, I knew the gender I was assigned at birth didn’t make a lot of sense to what I felt internally.
Unfortunately our society does not do a good job of embracing complexities that exist within one person. This binary of “man” and “woman” has always been something that I was confused about, which resulted in me completely rejecting it. Growing up I didn’t have the language we have now to acknowledge different gender identities and expressions. “Why is there no word to describe what I’m feeling?” was always spinning in my mind.
For me Pride month is about remembering our history of resistance and persistence as Queer people. Whether it was the Stonewall riots or the Compton Lunch riots, we have always rejected societal norms that want to erase and make us fit this “perfect image” of what it looks like to be a man or a woman. It is these historic events that remind us that the fight for Queer liberation has and is being led by Black and Brown Trans people.
Pride month is for Queer joy and recognizes how far our advocacy efforts have gone. Our Queer elders have laid the groundwork for us to exist and for us to keep fighting, but only if we choose to do so. The simple act of showing up as your authentic self is a huge middle finger to those who are actively attacking us, but we must continue to remember our past of resistance and community organizing as we move forward.
My mind went into so many different directions when I was preparing to write this blog. I asked myself “what connection even is there between combating homophobia and combating the climate crisis?” This sent me into an interesting research spiral, where I learned about Queer Ecology and how these binaries, that I reject, are even applied to nature. I also read about how Queer people, specifically Trans people, are in Frontline communities as we have a large number of Trans people who are homeless and more exposed to the harms of pollution due to climate change.
Although these are really great reads that show some connection between Queer rights and Environmentalism I still struggled to feel the connection… until I did some deeper reflection.
The Power of Storytelling: Who are the Muxe?
Growing up, the men in my family told me to be the most competitive and aggressive person in order to achieve success. I was never this person, though, and found it hard to see why I needed those traits in order to survive.
Being the oldest of 3 and being labeled a “boy”, who would later become a “man” just didn’t sit well with me. Sadly it was who I was told to be, especially in the Catholic church. I don’t hold a grudge with my family, this is how they were raised and there is no handbook on how to raise a gay child. Luckily for me I accepted my own Queerness from an early age, so even if I was confused I was able to navigate the world as a Queer kid. After that I was struggling to learn about how I can show up as my authentic self in my Latine community.
Much like stories, toxic traits are passed down through generations. These traits aren’t random and learned in one day, they are systemic. They are the result of oppressive systems that don’t prioritize community and collaboration. Capitalism, colonialism, white supremacy, and patriarchy are very big and scary words, I will admit, but being able to name them now has been eye-opening.
My family never talked about Queer people, so I didn’t know what LGBTQ+ history existed in Mexico until I did my own research. Through online storytelling, I was able to discover that the Indigenous people of Mexico, specifically the Zapotec in Oaxaca, recognize and celebrate a “third gender”. The Muxe (mu-shay) are a fabulous group of people in Mexico that embody masculinity and femininity both internally and in how they present themselves.
As a nonbinary person, I asked myself, “Why was I never introduced to the Muxe?” If they are an integral part of Mexican culture and history, then why does the binary way of thinking still exist in Mexico?
As I learned more about colonialism, specifically in Mexico, I learned that so much of what makes Mexican culture is a result of being colonized by Spain. From our language to the religion practiced there, I see how Spain “influenced” what I know Mexico to be today. It is important to remember that religion was a tool used for colonization and deeming what is or isn’t “natural”.
Colonization not only takes land and its resources away from the people indigenous to it, but it erases culture and replaces it with a straight, white version.
The Muxes and other Third Gender people were almost erased completely if it wasn’t for storytelling. I would not have been able to connect to my gender identity if it weren’t for storytelling. The story of the Muxe tells me that the world I’m envisioning is not far-fetched; it was once and still is a reality that shouldn’t be swept under the rug. We must keep fighting, not only for our rights and the rights of the planet, but also for the stories that helped guide us, as organizers.
When I say LGBTQ+ liberation, I mean breaking away from the harmful and oppressive systems and way of thinking that don’t serve our needs and dehumanize us. This liberation also means that people don’t suffer because of how and where they were born; everyone is taken care of regardless. Everyone should have access to housing, healthcare, and a healthy environment. Systems like capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and white supremacy have created a world centered on the voices of the white wealthy elites.
The Fossil Fuel Industry perfectly embodies this way of thinking. Accepting Queer people and advocating around the climate crisis goes against everything the Fossil Fuel Industry was created to silence. For this reason we are seeing Queer and Environmental advocates being targeted, which is not new. Pushing back against the status quo is what our advocacy work should be centered on and failing to do so will only create incremental change, which is needed, but won’t be liberating anyone.
In order to achieve liberation for all Queer people we must reject capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and white supremacy not only to avoid those systems from returning, but because it also means protecting the planet from further destruction. Although the language for homophobia has changed over the years, it still stems from viewing LGBTQ+ people as “unnatural”, which I find ironic since these are the same people who reject nature by exploiting our Earth.
As I become more of an Environmental organizer, I am doing a lot of unlearning on what I thought was “eco-friendly” and what I thought being an Environmentalist means. On the surface, I am getting better at recycling and teaching others how to properly recycle: I am getting better at not using single-use products; I am producing less food waste. On a deeper level, I am learning that the systems I listed above are not only the reasons why we are in the climate crisis, but are the reasons why so many people don’t deem LGBTQ+ people as human.
The Current Erasure of Queer Identity
Last year, we saw how Target backed out from openly supporting the LGBTQ+ community by removing products created by us. Now we are seeing the company remove all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion protocols. This corporation also sells a lot of greenwashed products like those made from “recycled materials,” when in reality, it is single-use plastic in green packaging.
These are clear examples of how these systems, in this case capitalism, try to infiltrate movement spaces.
Whether it be in the Environmental or Queer spaces it is important to remember one thing: corporations are not our allies and they must be rejected from entering our spaces. Failing to do so will destabilize our movement spaces and we will repeat the same harms… only this time it will be with a rainbow and Earth sticker.
As I enter into Pride season, I remain grounded in keeping the movements alive through stories. I challenge myself to think about how all these different issues connect. Housing, access to healthcare, defeating homophobia and racism means challenging the oppressive systems that got us in this mess to begin with.
It is not us vs. each other, but rather it is us vs. the problem. Being centered around this will not only ground me on who is to blame, but also on who I am working with to achieve liberation.
B. serves as Policy Manager for Climate Generation. They are a Minneapolis Southsider and first generation graduate of the University of Minnesota. B. has several years experience in community organizing and policy work and is excited to bring their experiences in voting rights and housing advocacy to Climate Generation’s climate justice work. They believe in investing in our young leaders to build a better future and sustain movement work and have centered the voices of young people in previous campaigns. B. is a participant in the Wilder Foundation’s Community Equity Program, a nine-month political leadership cohort-based learning journey for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community leaders and change makers.
Resources:
- Queer Ecology: https://queerbrownvegan.com/queer-ecology/
- Queering Climate Activism: https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2021/11/19/queering-climate-activism
- Queers for Climate Justice: https://www.queerecoproject.org/queers4climatejustice
- Climate Solutions need Queerness: https://www.yesmagazine.org/environment/2023/06/08/queer-climate-solutions
- Queer Ecology and Intersectional Environmentalism: https://www.sustained.kitchen/latest/2021/6/17/queer-ecology-and-intersectional-environmentalism
- Grist’s Queer Activism in EJ spaces: https://grist.org/article/what-the-queer-community-brings-to-the-fight-for-climate-justice/
- Decolonizing Climate Action: https://commonslibrary.org/decolonizing-climate-action-toolkit/
- SOMO History on Colonialism: https://www.somo.nl/history-colonialism-climate-change-carbon-markets/
The post A Call for Liberation appeared first on Climate Generation.
Climate Change
“Sink or swim”: WA Gov hugely underestimating decline in regional gas demand while sleeping on green exports, new report finds
PERTH, Tuesday 13 October 2026 — A new report from Greenpeace Australia Pacific and Springmount Advisory reveals green commodity exports are an untapped economic opportunity for Western Australia in a declining Asian gas market, while offering a genuine solution for decarbonising Asia.
From Gas to Green: Building Western Australia’s Future State is a comprehensive analysis of the declining gas market in Asia, and the untapped economic opportunity for WA to become a global leader in green commodity exports while driving the regional shift away from fossil fuels.
The report offers key recommendations for the WA Government to support regional decarbonisation through an orderly phase out of gas exports in favour of green iron and other green exports. It comes as global climate leaders from across business, politics and advocacy prepare to meet for the Global Citizen Now: Perth event focused on decarbonising WA.
Key findings:
- Gas demand is falling across WA’s core markets in Asia: Gas demand fell in 2025 and is projected to continue to decline, driven by a combination of global geopolitical factors and domestic concerns.
- Policy shifts in key markets since the war on Iran now prioritise renewables and nuclear over gas: Japan, South Korea and China have legislated energy plans that prioritise renewables and nuclear over gas.
- New WA gas would arrive in a saturated, uncertain Asian market filled with cheaper gas: The US is now the world’s largest liquefied gas producer and plans to double its capacity as it also targets Asian markets.
- Green commodities offer a real solution to sustain WA’s economy: WA can lead Australia’s green commodity exports, which by 2060 could be worth almost a trillion dollars.
- Exporting more WA gas is likely to delay or impede Asia decarbonisation: Despite claims by the gas industry, there is no evidence that WA gas is displacing coal in Asia, and in fact diverts resources from genuine decarbonisation options.
Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “As our export partners in Asia shift away from expensive and polluting gas, the WA Government has a golden opportunity to pivot our economy to green exports, like green iron, which is the most effective way to help our region to decarbonise.
“The writing is on the wall: gas is in decline, renewables are our future. In this context, it makes zero sense for the government to encourage high risk projects like Woodside’s reckless Browse gas proposal at Scott Reef.
“This report clearly shows that the WA Government faces a choice: sink or swim. They can either allow the gas industry to keep ripping off West Australians and continue propping up its decline, or choose the path that will deliver enormous benefits to the state and the world by becoming a leader in the rapidly expanding green economy.”
Tom Quinn, Managing Director of Springmount Advisory: “Western Australia prospers when it looks to the future and builds for future demand. Twenty years from now, what the world needs is green commodities made using WAs abundant renewable resources. Just like it did with iron ore in the 1950s and gas in the 1970s, WA should look to the future and build what the world will need, not sunsetting industries like gas that are already past their peak.”
-ENDS-
Media contact
Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or kate.ocallaghan@greenpeace.org
Lucy Keller on 0491 135 308 or lucy.keller@greenpeace.org
A report from Greenpeace Australia Pacific and Springmount Advisory reveals the untapped green economic opportunity for Western Australia in a declining Asian gas market, which also offers a genuine solution for decarbonisation in Asia.
Is Western Australia clinging to a fading gas industry while a thriving green future passes it by? As major Asian trading partners rapidly pivot away from volatile gas imports toward cheap solar and battery storage, this report exposes a high-stakes choice: risk becoming stranded in an oversupplied fossil fuel market, or harness WA’s unmatched sun and wind to lead the global clean energy transition.
Summary
From Gas to Green: Building Western Australia’s Future State reveals that Western Australia (WA) faces a critical juncture as falling Asian gas demand, geopolitical gas supply volatility and accelerating renewable energy deployment undermine the long-term economic viability of gas exports. By harnessing its world-class wind and solar resources, the report demonstrates that WA can execute an orderly phase-out of gas and pioneer a green commodity export economy that could generate $987 billion in economic value by 2060, create 24,000 ongoing jobs, and drive a 9.6% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions.
Key Findings
- Gas demand is falling in Asia – WA can no longer rely on gas exports: Gas demand in core Asian markets fell in 2025 and is projected to continue to decline in 2026. Legislated energy plans in Japan, South Korea, and China now prioritise renewables and nuclear over gas.
- Asia is increasing renewables, importing gas just gets in the way: Evidence from markets like Thailand suggests that gas imports are increasingly crowding out cheaper renewable energy investments and battery storage rather than displacing coal, locking in more emissions over time.
- Green commodities offer a real solution to decarbonise Asia – this is a major win for WA: With world-class renewables, WA can lead Australia’s green commodity exports, which by 2060 could be worth almost a trillion dollars ($987 billion) and support a genuine 9.6% reduction in global emissions.
Recommendations to WA government
Recommendation 1: Plan an orderly gas phase-out aligned with a trading partner pivot plan
Implement a managed, orderly phase-out of gas exports aligned with trading partners’ decarbonisation pathways, rather than waiting for demand to collapse, by:
- Developing and implementing a staged phase-out of gas facilities aligned with feedstock supply expiry or typical end of facility lifespans.
- Committing to no new gas development for gas expansion, including Browse and Kimberley fields.
- Developing new, reciprocal trade relationships with existing gas trade partners, structured to progressively replace gas exports with green commodities – integrated with recommendation 2.
Recommendation 2: Develop an integrated green commodity export strategy, positioning WA as a global green iron manufacturing hub
Establish an integrated green commodity export strategy that immediately prioritises green iron development, positioning WA as a global green iron manufacturing hub, by:
- Committing to green commodity export targets to give industry and investors a clear demand signal.
- Prioritising green iron as the lead sector within the broader green commodity strategy, given WA’s iron ore endowment and first-mover potential.
Recommendation 3: Reject false solutions such as carbon dumping (CCS) and blue hydrogen
Reject carbon dumping (also described as carbon capture and storage, or CCS) and blue hydrogen as viable decarbonisation technologies, and prioritise green hydrogen and proven renewables for clean energy and fuel production by:
- Excluding blue hydrogen projects (and CCS-dependent projects) from all government support programs.
- Requiring existing hydrogen-based production (including ammonia, methanol, synthetic fuels) to have clear, near-term transition timelines to switch to green hydrogen production.
What you can do
Together, we can push for a prosperous green future.
You can help by:
- Sending an email to Environment Minister Murray Watt and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling on them to reject Browse.
- Sharing this story to help more Australians understand what’s at stake.
- Encouraging your friends and family to take action.
REPORT: “From Gas to Green” Building Western Australia’s Future State
Cleaner cooking projects in the UN carbon market will have to set aside a share of their credits to insure against the risk that the trees they save are lost to fire, drought or logging, after the market’s regulator rejected calls to exempt the sector.
The requirement is part of a new rulebook that the Paris Agreement carbon market regulator – the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body – approved last Friday for programmes that aim to cut emissions by distributing new and cleaner cookstoves in regions that still burn wood or charcoal for cooking.
These are the UN mechanism’s first rulebooks for cookstoves, one of the carbon market’s most popular credit types and also one of its most criticised for overstating climate benefits.
They consist of two methodologies: one for programmes that aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by distributing more efficient cookstoves that burn less wood or charcoal, and a separate methodology for projects shifting households to lower-emissions cookers running on electricity or liquid petroleum gas (LPG).
Mkhuthazi Steleki, the South African chair of the Supervisory Body, said “this decision gives cleaner cooking projects a new pathway under the UN carbon market, with clear rules to ensure that each credit represents a real and credible emission reduction”.
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Exemption push rejected
More efficient cookstove projects earn credits based on the amount of carbon they save by preserving trees that would have otherwise been cut down and burned for fuel. But if those trees later burn in a wildfire or are logged, the carbon stored would be released anyway, erasing the climate benefits of the credits.
Several carbon credit developers, conservation NGOs and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) disputed that cookstove projects face this risk, in what critics described as a “coordinated lobbying campaign”.
They argued that, unlike forest protection schemes, this type of credit represents a “flow” of avoided emissions rather than a “stock” of stored carbon that can be released. They also warned that requiring a buffer would impose disproportionate costs and undermine the financial viability of these activities.
But the UN carbon market regulator was not persuaded by the argument. It decided that projects would have to protect against this reversal risk by handing over a percentage of credits to a so-called “buffer pool” instead of selling them.
‘New paradigm’
The amount of credits to be given up is calculated by applying different methods for natural risks, like wildfires, droughts or hurricanes, and human-caused ones, such as logging or land clearing.
For natural risks, project developers will need to apply local risk values derived from new modelling published by a group of independent scientists.
Campaigners have broadly welcomed the decision. Federica Dossi, an expert at Brussels-based advocacy group Carbon Market Watch, said it sets a new paradigm for calculating reversal risk based on empirical data. “This approach is grounded in science and we hope to see this now being adopted by other carbon crediting mechanisms in the voluntary market,” she added.
Backers claim this method is more rigorous than current practice in the voluntary carbon market, which largely relies on expert guesswork.
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