350 Indonesia

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My wife Sue and I criss-crossed America these past few weeks -- from the Mackinac Straits of Michigan where they want to run tar sands oil through aging pipes beneath the Great Lakes, to the Chevron refinery in Richmond, California where they'd like to turn tar sands into gasoline. We saw coal plants, fracking wells and stretches of Pacific coast they'd like to turn into carbon ports.

But mostly we saw people -- the beautiful face of a movement that's growing, learning, coming together.

It's incredibly diverse, as one would expect -- people in Maine are from people in Moab, Utah are different from people in Trumbull County, Ohio. But no matter our differences, everywhere we share an adversary: a fossil fuel industry so focused on greed that they're willing to rip apart the planet and its communities.

We've put up a slideshow with photos and reportbacks from Summer Heat events -- it's a small glimpse of the power and beauty shown across the country in the past few weeks. Click here to see it: 350.org/en/about/blogs/what-happens-when-climate-movement-decides-summer-isnt-hot-enough

Everywhere I went, people also shared a spirit: firm, joyful, unyielding. I particularly liked the banner that hung from the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River: "Coal, Oil, Gas: None Shall Pass." It all has to stay under ground.

For a few weeks we took the hottest stretch of the summer and turned it politically hot as well. A lot of people felt the pinch of handcuffs -- myself included -- but they felt the embrace of the rest of the movement too. Everywhere people were embracing the power of the local climate justice movement, in all its forms.

If this was a movement of a few big organizations or a few leaders, then the industry wouldn't need to worry so much. But instead there are thousands of local leaders, and hundreds of local organizations -- and they're linked together in new, exciting ways that spell trouble for the fossil fuel barons, and hope for a troubled earth.

So many thanks to everyone who raised the heat. Let's keep going,

Bill McKibben
 

After speaking, the group talked about 350.org's university divestment campaign, and strategic connections were made between local university boosters and student-activists.

Then we climbed uphill in the now-light rain, and mailed approximately 30 postcards to Senator Bill Nelson's Washington office.

There are many more coming.

One of the major movement efforts underway in the U.S. right now concerns a comprehensive reform of the immigration system. Our Board of Directors issued the following statement of solidarity today:

We stand in solidarity with our movement allies who are working towards comprehensive reform of the U.S. immigration system. This is a just and moral cause that affirms the fundamental equality of all people and we support it wholeheartedly. We do this in the spirit of true solidarity, knowing that the struggles for immigrant rights and climate justice are intimately linked.
From working with our partners around the world, we know that migration itself is increasingly a climate issue. Many people who have come to the U.S. in recent decades were fleeing impossible hardships at home, including hardships caused by weather-related disasters linked to climate change.
Upon arriving in the United States, immigrants all-too-often find themselves on the front lines of environmental racism, living dangerously close to dirty refineries, power plants, and mine sites. For decades, these communities have led courageous fights for clean air, land and water – and through their victories have kept uncounted tons of carbon and other greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
We are committed to supporting these crucial, front-line struggles and that means supporting immigration reform. Existing unjust laws keep millions of undocumented immigrants in the legal shadows, a place where fighting for the basic right to a clean environment can lead to prolonged incarceration and deportation. With comprehensive reform, these silenced voices will be liberated to grow louder and more forceful, making us all safer in the process.
Immigrants to this country bring a fresh and global perspective to our environmental challenges, as well as much needed political power. Together we can build a stronger, more resilient society, one that is capable of responding to the threat of climate change and to the opportunities for a fairer, cleaner economy. At 350.org we believe that respecting the Earth’s limits and unlocking the limitless potential of all people go hand-in-hand. We look forward to strengthening our alliances in the months and years to come.
 

Find your polling place and ballot summary here.

It’s hard to find politicians who are perfect on climate. But there are decisions to be made about the future of our planet, and let’s be honest: some leaders will be better than others at making them. So please vote. Then on Wednesday -- because we know electing the right people isn't enough -- we're launching a new phase of the climate movement.

Here's a preview:

This blog post was written by 350.org intern Meagan Tokunaga. Meagan is a freshman at Pomona College and has been working on the fossil fuel subsidies campaign this summer. Learn more about Meagan and her work here.

Big shout out to Occupy London Energy, Equity and Environment group who pulled off a wonderful day of activities all about connecting the dots between extreme weather, climate change, the problems (such as tarsands) and the solutions (renewable energy!).

Despite the drizzle they attracted a good crowd with their games of 'extreme' Twister, climate criminal guided tour near St Paul's Cathedral and wide range of speakers - everything from stories of the Pakistan floods of 2011 (from Sabiha Telad from Muslim Hands) to social and climate justice poetry (Danny Chivers).

The sun came out for a big photo to connect the dots from the 99% to the 1% to take us back to 350ppm and the day ended with varied attempts to screen tarsands film 'Tarmageddon' at various London institutions either investing in the tarsands or being sponsored by companies implicit in supporting tarsands.  In its true nature, Occupy persisted at Tate Modern and on Shell land to share the story until evicted by police.

All in all, a fantastic day and lots of hardwork by the EEE group to really hold a mirror to the planet and force people to come face to face with the ravages of climate change.  Lots to be proud of! :)

Photo credits: Malachi Chadwick

To sign up for a 99% Spring Training, search for trainings in your area here.

Let the 99% Spring of action begin!

At a moment like this, we need to show the kind of solidarity we'd all hope for from our friends and allies. Please spread this action to get more people to sign onto our statement of support. You can share it on Facebook here, spread it on Twitter here, or just pass along this link: www.350.org/nasheed

We're communicating urgently the US State Department and other key diplomats in the UK, EU and India to press for a peaceful and democratic resolution of the struggles in the Maldives.The surge of Democracy that swept the Arab world last year really began a few years before in the Maldives, an entirely muslim nation -- and Nasheed's op-ed in the New York Times explains just how difficult this kind of transition can be. The video below offers a real insight into the history of this threatened, fragile nation -- and the political struggles that will shape its future:

We also received this touching note from Ayesha, a friend of ours from Maldives:

"To the 350 family: thank you for your support and for insisting on the safety of President Nasheed and all Maldivians…I plea for my friends who fight for climate justice to help us bring peace to our nation. By helping us bring peace and justice to this nation, you will help strengthen our resilience to climate change which is crucial for our very existence."

When people are free to speak there minds, crucial issues like climate change rise to the fore. We need to make sure that people in the Maldives and elsewhere can be a full part of the global debate on the most important issues the world has ever faced.

Activists from “Occupy COP17”, who came to Durban for the COP17 conference, had developed a close relationship with the community. “In our General Assembly, someone told us of how a community had been illegally evicted because of the COP17, so we called them.” said Kevin Buckland of 350.org, “two days later, some of us from Occupy COP17 went to meet with them. As soon as we arrived we were moved to tears by hearing about the injustice that had occurred. They told us their story on the very place where there houses had stood just weeks before. Now all that was left were piles of broken roofing and scattered objects."

On the last day of the COP17 Climate Change Conference, community members attended a “Vigil For Climate Justice” just outside the ICC Center where the Climate Negotiations were being held. At the vigil, they shared their story and young members from the community performed a play reenacting the illegal eviction. Many of the people who witnessed the performance were among those to call-in on Friday.  Community member Jabulilie Mdlalose said “They destroyed our houses. They destroy our lives. They took our food. They took out clothes. They took everything from us. And they said we are messing up the place because of the COP17. Today we don't have a shelter. ”

“Now that we have met them and heard their story,” said Buckland “we cannot let them suffer alone, and we will not abandon. Councillor Lucky Mdlalose: people all over the world will be watching how you act on this. We will stand by our friends from KwaMashu until justice is served.”

We've been helping to highlight the connections between the #climate and #occupy movement for several months now. Check out some of the resources on that subject here: www.350org/occupy. Now there's perhaps no better example of the cross-over than here in Durban, South Africa where OccupyCOP17 held it's first general assembly today to discuss climate justice and what our people powered movement is doing about it.

PHOTO BY GREENPEACE

We'll be taking part in these assemblies and we'll be sure to report on where the conversations and movements lead. And to all the occupiers out there -- thanks for leading the way. It's time to Occupy Earth!