The U.S. is at a crossroads. A handful of opportunistic, megalomaniacal billionaires and corporate power have flooded politics with unprecedented influence. Around the world, democratic systems are showing cracks under the pressure of rising authoritarianism, disinformation, and concentrated wealth. At the same time, the climate crisis continues to accelerate, with record-breaking heat, floods, and fires making clear that business as usual is no longer an option.

Turning this tide will require more than hope. It will require people everywhere to push back — demanding accountability, showing up for one another, and refusing to cede power to those who profit from crisis. The voices in this issue remind us that there is no time to wait. From Thom Hartmann’s warning about America’s slide toward oligarchy, to organizers reshaping civic participation, to Oren Lyons’ call to transform our values at the deepest level, the message is clear: The future of democracy and the planet depends on what we do now.

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Thom Hartmann: Can We Stop America’s Slide into Oligarchy?

Author, broadcaster, and scholar Thom Hartmann issues a stark warning: The lines between corporate power, government authority, and public “knowledge” have not just blurred — they’re vanishing. Enabled by a Supreme Court that equates political bribery with free speech, billionaires are flooding elections with money, tipping the scales away from the will of the people.

Hartmann calls this the third great assault by the ultra-wealthy on democracy in American history — and insists that the power to resist still lies with us.

• Watch the keynote: Supreme Oligarchy at the Gates
• Listen to the podcast: How Billionaires and the Supreme Court are Betraying the Promise of America

Reclaiming Democracy: 7 Lessons in Civic Participation

Seventy percent of U.S. elected offices went uncontested in the 2024 elections — a stark reminder that our democracy is in crisis. But change is possible when people step up, support each other, and reimagine what leadership looks like.

In a powerful conversation, four organizers shared grounded, hopeful strategies for renewing civic life — from valuing lived experience as a qualification, to showing up for candidates, to finding common ground across deep divides.

Explore the Strategies

Oren Lyons: Transforming Our Values to Survive

As fires, floods, and droughts intensify, it’s clear that both our climate and our societies are unraveling. At the 2024 Bioneers Conference, legendary Native American rights leader Oren R. Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation, reminded us that survival depends on more than technology or policy—it requires a profound shift in the values driving our world.

With a lifetime of leadership at the intersection of Indigenous sovereignty, human rights, and environmental stewardship, Lyons calls on us to honor our responsibilities to future generations and to transform the very foundations of how we live, work, and govern.

Watch the Keynote

Bioneers Learning Course Spotlight — Rights of Nature 201: Moving Campaigns Forward

Ready to move from learning to action? Join legal experts Thomas Linzey and Mari Margil on November 6 (11 AM–2 PM PT) for a three-hour live online seminar designed for activists, organizers, and community leaders already familiar with Rights of Nature principles. You’ll gain practical strategies for drafting and advancing Rights of Nature laws, explore lessons from successful campaigns, and learn how to take your movement to the next level.

Register now