Last month scientists warned us that we have 10 years left to avoid 1.5C of warming. 10 years to completely transition our economy off fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy. You know what? We can do this.
Activists all over the globe are already doing this every day and they just need more support and bigger movements. This past year there have been some remarkable victories along those lines. The cancellation of two major tarsands pipelines — the Kinder Morgan Transmountain pipeline and Keystone XL. There have been further bans on fracking around the world but particularly in Brazil. There have been over 1000 major divestment wins and more and more banks refusing to finance coal.
We have seen major shifts that have happened much faster than we predicted and that’s where I want to point us towards for 2019.
We know what it takes to stop this industry. It is not a mystery, it is not magical. It is hard work. It requires organising, mobilising and campaigning — all of these things the climate movement knows how to do. 350.org is part of allied movements all over the world that are making things happen. We are going to be tackling fossil fuel hotspots all over the globe: in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, North America, throughout Europe, Latin America, Turkey and beyond.
We’ll be tackling the financing of the fossil fuel industry from financial hotspots like London in the UK, the US and Japan.
We will be working in places that are already suffering the worst impacts of climate breakdown. Like the Pacific, like India, Like many parts of Africa where we are working together with very vibrant people’s movements.
We will be calling for a pro-active solutions agenda – in the US for a Green New Deal. We know these are scary times but we want to infuse hope into this movement, because it is the stories of everyone who is part of this movement, millions of us, who will create that hope.