We enter the last quarter of the year with some wins and some devastating losses. From floods, typhoons, and hurricanes to drought and wildfires, the reality is that some nations experience harder climate impacts than others. And a recent report by Oxfam has found that the number of people facing acute hunger has more than doubled in the last four years in the world’s climate change hotspots – especially affecting those who have contributed the least to this crisis.
The climate movement continues to push for climate justice as the journey to COP27 gets closer and closer. As you read this email, activists from the Global South are coming together in a Climate Camp in Tunisia, and just a couple of weeks ago, civil society groups from Africa and the Arab World banded together to form the COP27 Coalition and ensure that the demands from the Global South will be heard. We will remind world leaders that commitments must be upheld. Tough policies must be made. The opportunity to step up on climate action is now.
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In Case You Missed It
Global Climate Strikes ask for #PeopleNotProfit
The Global Climate Strikes that took place last week under the hashtag #PeopleNotProfit, reminded us that the youth are demanding more change and raising the pressure on leaders. The fossil fuel industry is responsible for the climate crisis, they know it, and our youth are connecting the dots to save our planet.
Overall, we really loved the content and actions we saw from the global movement. It brought together so many inspiring activists who continue to ramp up the pressure from countries like Germany, Japan, Bangladesh, and many others.
After three years of climate strikes, students are now preparing for a more radical step for the international climate justice movement. End Fossil: Occupy is an international action callout for students to occupy their schools and universities anytime between September and December 2022.
#StopEACOP campaigners with 350 Japan
A Weave of Hope
Merge creativity and solidarity and a masterpiece is born. A Weave of Hope is Asia’s way of combining diversity and creating a tapestry of resistance to help fight the climate crisis. The continents’ long history of maintaining their cultures and traditions represents how the community captures the significance of their surroundings into art – and 350 Asia invited artists to express their experiences of the climate crisis through knitting. Public exhibitions showcasing the selected artworks have been travelling through several countries in Asia since the beginning of the month. The last one is happening now until October 3rd in Jogja, Indonesia. I don’t know about you, but just reading more about their project warms my heart. As the authors of the exhibition say, they are weaving “the cloth that brings warmth and unites us in solidarity.” I hope you feel that energy too.
Photo by: 350.org/Kathleen Lei Limayo
The Amazon Forest is not open for business
To honor and fight for their homes, the Indigenous and Traditional peoples in the Brazilian Amazon stood united to observe Amazon Day in Brazil, on September 5th.
That included taking the streets, participating in public consultations, and celebrations on the day.
The world’s largest rainforest is a crucial element in our global climate, and scientists have been warning it is getting close to reaching a tipping point. The biggest threats are deforestation, illegal extraction of minerals, and pollution of rivers – and all of that has more recently been joined by the destructive greed of fossil fuel companies, which has already wrecked parts of the Amazon in countries like Ecuador and Peru and is now trying to expand to Brazil.
The communities who have lived in this territory for generations are the ones who best protect and manage the forest. We should follow their lead and ensure that the Amazon is not open for business!
ONE TO WATCH
A third of the country under water
As I write this, it is no longer breaking news. But it doesn’t make it any less urgent, and truth must be said: the fossil fuel industry is the real culprit.
Over the last weeks, Pakistan saw the worst of the recent climate impacts when the country was flooded with rains 76% above normal, and over 1,300 lives were lost. You may wonder what this has to do with you.
But hear us out. Science keeps reminding us that these kinds of impacts will keep occurring more frequently, and more intensely if we do not act now—a message we cannot afford to ignore.
USE YOUR POWER
Support the Pacific nation’s fight for climate justice
You might have heard the news from the last UN General Assembly: the Vanuatu Government has become the first nation-state to urge a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty! That means that they are calling for an international treaty that would stop all new development of oil and gas, phase out existing fossil fuel production, and ensure workers and countries transition to a greener economy in a fair way.
This is a major diplomatic breakthrough and a critical moment for the global climate movement to rally behind the Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal and get more countries to back it.
Stand in Solidarity with Pacific Nations calling for a #FossilFuelTreaty:
SKILL UP YOUR ACTIVISM
Raise your hand if you attended our Global Trainings Week.
If you didn’t, no worries.
As a proud member of 350.org, I’m just here to tell you how those sessions went. They were fabulous, loaded with so much insightful knowledge; and wisdom about the climate movement. Each panelist brought in a different perspective. We heard from the seasoned activists and the younglings who are filled with fire and passion for saving their generation and the next.
Chances are I am selling them short, but in case you need to hear, watch it yourself. We have recordings available for those who didn’t have time to attend them all; those who need that inspiring word from the wise; and those who might be planning some organizing soon *wink wink*
It’s all there.
Quote of the month