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This month, we sat down to take stock of all our accomplishments from last year. And what we discovered was a vital link that underpins all of our wins:
The people and communities whom we collaborate with, are the ones driving the momentous impact we have had in advancing climate action globally.
The results speak for themselves in our newly published Annual Report.
So let’s all celebrate the movement generous organization we have become!
We making widespread change happen by growing alongside global communities, especially with those facing climate impacts and inequality. It is this collaborative spirit that brings us closer to 100% safe and affordable energy solutions.
Our new Annual report highlights how 350 is a movement of people power in collaboration. Photo credit: Bianka Csenki (Artivist Network)
And as the beginning of May also marked International Labor Day, we want to take a moment to honor workers around the world. As our communities work to transition to renewable energy sources, it’s crucial that workers everywhere are at the forefront of the fight as well.
Although we don’t need one more reason to transition away from fossil fuels, I’ll give you yet another, fairly convincing one – renewable energy provides and will continue to provide a massive increase in employment opportunities across the globe. Renewables = a future where no one gets left behind! 👏👷
Why don’t you join our Fossil Free mailing list for all the latest stories on climate organizing from around the world? Stories that matter. Campaigns that inspire. All delivered directly to you every month!
In Case You Missed It
Celebrating Our Collective Impact in 2023
We are so excited to share with you our brand new Annual report called “People Power in Collaboration: Community-led Solutions, Global Impact”.
In this publication, we highlight 350’s wins across the fiscal year 2023 (October 2022 to September 2023), while celebrating the profound impact our partners have had on our mission. You will see just how the commitment and collaborative spirit of people like you has strengthened each campaign, each project, and each initiative that we have undertaken.
Our achievements in 2023 include:
- Challenging Fossil Fuel Projects: Mobilizing against big oil & coal projects like the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and Whitehaven Coal.
- Halting Fossil Fuel Finance: Convincing institutions like the Brazilian Development Bank to divest from fossil fuel projects for financial and ethical reasons.
- Advancing Renewable Energy Solutions: Promoting equitable, community-based renewable energy systems for marginalized and frontline communities globally.
- Empowering the Climate Movement: Strengthening the climate advocacy network by supporting 490 groups, mobilizing 94,701 individuals, and training 7,709 activists.
And your support, dear reader, has been instrumental in securing these wins. We thank you for standing with us as we advance our cause.
Our Annual Report for the Fiscal Year 2023 highlights the work of the people, partners, allies, communities and supporters we have collaborated with. Photo Credit: 350.org
Camping for Indigenous Rights in Brasília, Brazil
Every year, in Brazil, Free Land Camping or Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) brings thousands of indigenous people to the country’s capital Brasília. It is the largest gathering of indigenous groups in the country that started in 2004 as a protest against government policies. The campaign continues to fight for indigenous rights for a just energy transition.
This year, we supported and marched alongside our inspiring allies at ATL as the event marked 20 years of fighting for the rights of Brazil’s indigenous peoples such as land rights, environmental defenders protection, and better health policies. Our goal is to raise indigenous voices and ensure that they have a say in climate discussions.
Indigenous groups marching in Brasília, protesting against fossil fuel exploitation in the Amazon and demanding indigenous rights. Photo credit: 350 Brazil
Flipping the Switch on Bad Energy Solutions in Asia
We recently launched our Flip the Switch Campaign across Asia, calling out the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to stop funding unproven and harmful energy projects like dams, nuclear, waste-to-energy, and fossil gas, and to support renewable energy projects instead.
For instance, ADB is providing a $71 million loan to the Bangladesh government for better sanitation measures in the Khulna Narail region. But this money is going to a project that is setting up dams and embankments threatening to destroy precious water and ecosystems in the region. Further, the project is setting up greenwashing alternatives such as makeshift bags of temporary embankments. Such embankments provide a false sense of security and are typically inadequate for long-term protection against flooding, often leading to repeated and more severe flooding. Young activists in Narail are actively resisting this development in solidarity with the Flip the Switch campaign.
Activists in the Nairu region of Bangladesh stand on river Chitra in protest of dam and embankment developments on 14 May 2024. Photo credit: 350 Pilipinas
Powering Equipment through the Sun in the Philippines
This month, sparks flew as local students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Institute of Technology teamed up with 350 Pilipinas to inaugurate a groundbreaking solar energy charging station. With 10 new outlets illuminating the campus, the PUP community now harnesses the power of the sun to charge their mobile phones and gadgets sustainably. This project isn’t just about powering devices; it’s a shining example of community-driven innovation, exemplifying how our communities are taking charge of their energy future.
Students inaugurate the self-built solar energy charging station at Polytechnic University on 14 May 2024, in Manila, the Philippines. Photo Credit: Nadia Cruz
One to Watch
Talofa lava Comrades or Hello in Samoan! We have a special update from our Pacific Team:
Earlier this month, our Pacific Climate Warriors and esteemed Council of Elders united in Canberra, Australia, to launch our climate solutions campaign called “Our Pawa“. Over three powerful days, we engaged in heartfelt community discussions, rallied with unwavering spirit, and created an awe-inspiring community art project. The pinnacle of our gathering was the premiere of the Walanbaa Ngiiyani (Stronger Together) documentary.
Pacific Climate Warriors, and Indigenous community members protested on 10 May at the Parliament lawns in Canberra, Australia urging for a faster shift to renewable energy and an end to Australian fossil fuel extraction. Photo Credit: 350 Pacific
Have a look at the documentary trailer below to be inspired by our warriors’ commitment to climate justice:
Use Your Power
At a time of record high temperatures, sky-high energy prices, and a crippling cost of living crisis, a handful of oil and gas corporations are profiteering from the exploitation and suffering of ordinary people everywhere.
The solution is simple: by pushing governments to increase taxation on the super rich and fossil fuel giants across the globe, we can redirect the excessive wealth towards the rapid roll out of renewable energy around the world.
It’s time to expose the super rich and make them pay up! It won’t be easy and we’ll need everyone to join us to make change happen. Help us make this a reality by signing the petition:
Skill Up Your Activism
Rainforest Action Network along with other climate organizations has just released the 2024 edition of their report providing a terrifying analysis of the money behind fossil fuels. There are so, so many reasons why we should be worrying about fossil fuel financing and policies of the world’s 60 largest banks.
I know what you must be thinking, another big report with big, scary numbers. But don’t worry – let me break the key facts down:
- Fossil fuel money from the world’s top 60 banks has reached $6.9 TRILLION.
- Big banks poured a staggering $705 BILLION into fossil fuels in 2023 alone.
- The science tells us our climate can’t afford a single new fossil fuel project – yet big banks spent over $347 billion on fossil fuel expansion in 2023.
- Methane gas (what the industry greenwashes as liquefied “natural” gas or LNG) is the fastest-growing fossil fuel sector in the world. Financing of this toxic and volatile poison keeps going up, increasing from $116 billion in 2022 to almost $121 billion in 2023.
So what does this report tell us? Instead of investing in a liveable future for us all, big banks are putting money into and driving climate devastation in every corner of the world. They need to stop!
Banks that are financing most of the fossil fuels around the world. Photo credit: bankingonclimatechaos.org
Quote of the month
“Only a truly global social movement can hope to contend with an issue as big as climate change. Collaboration is and will always be central to our work.”
– May Boeve, Executive Director, 350.org
IN OTHER NEWS
- G7 countries agree to phase out coal power before 2035, but miss the opportunity to reject fossil fuels at the scale and speed necessary to meet climate targets
- World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
- Students are calling on their schools to divest from destruction