350 Indonesia

He’s right. Peaceful activism is vital when governments fail to respond to catastrophic climate change, and that’s exactly what thousands of people sending messages to Russian embassies think too.

We’re joining the call for a global day of solidarity tomorrow to stand with our brave friends in a global vigil. You can find the nearest event in this map and join. The Arctic 30 took a stand to protect the Arctic and our climate. Now they need you to take a stand for them and for our planet.

Shri Dhaneshwar Lal used to own little less than 1/3 hectares of fertile  agricultural land in Sikri. However in year 2011 he was forced to give his ancestral agricultural land, unwillingly to National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC).  “What use is independence for us? Our grandfathers were forced to cultivate Indigo for British and now we are forced to cultivate coal for the Government.  This is not democracy, this is dictatorship.” His family was one of the first families who refused to leave their land for a proposed coal mine by NTPC.  His relatives near villages of Jharia in Hazaribagh, had narrated enough horror stories of life near a coal mine. He has attended enough funerals of young members of his family to realize the truth behind  the development proposed by NTPC  and  the state.  However, his resistance was not encouraged by many others in his village as they have seen atrocities of the police and company sent goons on people refusing to give up their land. They knew that ultimately the land would be taken away by any and all means. Moreover, any uprising in the village might threaten their chance of getting timely compensation.  

It’s now been 2 years since Dhaneshwar Lal's family lost legal rights to their agriculture land for a small price of Rs 262,500 (4300 USD). As he signed the papers selling his land to the corporation he was promised a job in the upcoming mine. Though 3 members of his family lost livelihood while giving away the land only one was promised a job soon. Till this day the entire village is waiting to hear from NTPC about the job opportunities.

In May 2011, the Coal Ministry deallocated five coal blocks under NTPC— Chatti Bariatu, Chatti Bariatu (S), Kerandari, Brahmani and Chichiro Patsimal — as it could not develop the mines within the stipulated timeframe. After immense pressure from state government and NTPC the ministry reallocated 3 coal blocks back to NTPC in January 2013. The company has now said it would start production in these block only after 2017.  The coal extracted from these mines would be transported to its various power plants in the country, which would then sell electricity to various states in country. Meanwhile, villagers have lost their land but operations and jobs are a distant dream. 

Story of Dhaneshwar and his fellow villagers is not one in isolation. India’s ever increasing energy needs are creating a dark future for people living in coal-rich belts or those living close to water resources.  Many villagers in India spend each day of their lives in fear of losing their land for a mine or a power plant. Farmers across states of Maharashtra, Chattishgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh are complaining of decrease in water table. Few decades ago  they were displaced to build irrigation dams for farms and now the water from these very dams is diverted to coal power plants, coal mines and other industries being set up. These families are yet to see the bright future promised by our leaders and industrialists. These are the families who are paying the true cost for the electricity we consume.  These are the families who live in the darkest corners of the energy hubs of India. 

Today we have reached a situation  where we need take a step back and assess the true cost of energy.  Since independence India has witnessed mass displacement for energy and infrastructure projects (an estimated 60 million). People who use electricity only to light a bulb or two end up paying the highest electricity bill. It’s time that as an electricity consumer, people living in urban cities understand our role in solving this energy mess.  We know we need immediate and drastic policy changes to reduce India’s dependence on coal. We know we have power to demand justice for our fellow citizens and support them in their struggles.  We have to stand with millions of families like that of Shri Dhaneshwar and challenge the existing energy situation in India.  The fight for democratic and decentralized energy solutions needs to start from us.

We are fueled by the dedication of the local communities we serve and the global community alike, to accelerate the renewable energy movement. As we move forward onto our second project (to be announced in the coming weeks), we invite you to join the movement!  Connect with us on facebook and learn more about our efforts at www.re-volv.org.

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Dear friends,

An important new climate science report was just released, and the results aren’t exactly cheerful.

The new report is long and dense, so we thought we'd boil it down. Since we’re quite fond of science and numbers at 350.org -- after all, we're named after the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -- we wanted to share a few of the key numbers from the new climate report:

Greenpeace activists bear witness to the actions of the fossil fuel industry and their megaphone urges on the entire climate movement. Right now, they need our help. 30 activists are being held without being charged for a peaceful protest drawing attention to the harmful affects of Arctic oil drilling.  The team at 350.org joins the call for a global day of solidarity on October 5 to support our colleagues and the many others who draw inspiration from their courage. 

Help stop the destruction of Sundarbans, Stop the Rampal power plant 

The harmful impacts of coal-fired power plants are too well known around the world. But to put at risk, a natural barrier to rising sea levels and home to some of the richest and most diverse ecosystems, is a very dangerous move. For establishing this 1320 Megawatt power plant, Bangladesh will need to import about 4.72 million tons of coal each year. This massive freight will need about 59 ships each having an 80,000 ton capacity that take to the port which is 40 Kilometers away from the plant and its route cuts through the Sundarbans.   

Such projects around the world are being driven by profits more than people and their upliftment. Obfuscation of facts, lack of transparency in the bilateral agreement, an utter disregard to established rules and laws around environmental protection and an undemocratic and forceful approval of the project; Rampal power plant embodies all that is wrong with our obsession over growth.

Lest it appear that Bangladesh does not want development, the protest chants on the streets of the country respond beautifully by saying, "There are many alternatives of power generation, but there is no alternative for Sundarban". A massive rally has started today, September 24th, from Dhaka to the Sundarbans spanning over 400 Kilometers. With educational rallies and protests along the way, concerned citizens want to send a message loud and clear to both Bangladesh and Indian Governments, the plant must be stopped and the beautiful forests of the Sunderbans must be protected. 

Marzia Izrat has started a petition on 350 campaigns, urging her national and international community to speak out against the project. Sign this petition and lend her your support in saving the Sunderabans.