Beyond Paris, Climate Movement Plans Global Swarm for Future of Humanity
'This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, let’s seize it.'
As the United Nations climate talks in Paris near their end, global activists on Thursday said people power needs to step in where governments are failing while announcing plans for upcoming mass mobilizations that aim to "keep fossil fuels in the ground and accelerate a just transition to 100% renewable energy."
Acts of civil disobedience scheduled for May 2016, slated to occur in at least a dozen countries across the globe from the U.S. to Nigeria to Australia, are necessary, the organizers write on the breakfree2016.org website. "Our actions must reflect the scale and urgency of this crisis in a way that governments can no longer ignore."
Among the groups organizing the Break Free from Fossil Fuels mobilization are 350.org, Attac, Greenpeace International, and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice.
From their statement:
We now have a unique opportunity to end the use of destructive fossil fuels and choose a clean energy future.
This May we hope to see more people than ever commit to joining actions that disrupt the industry's power by targeting the world's most dangerous fossil fuel projects, and supporting the most ambitious climate solutions.
Imagine: tens of thousands of people around the world rising up to take back control of their own destinies. Walking arm-in-arm into coal fields. Sitting down to block the business of governments and industry that threaten our future. Marching in peaceful defense of our right to clean energy.
We are close to a historic, global shift in our energy system. The way we get there is by action that names those who are responsible for climate change, takes power back for the people, and forces governments to act.
This is the moment we've been waiting for, let's seize it.
Among those speaking at a press conference announcing the Break Free actions were Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, environmental justice activist Nnimmo Bassey, and 350.org's Payal Parekh. Some of their remarks were highlighted on Twitter:
Climate activists are also gearing up for a mobilization on Saturday in Paris--in defiance of a protest ban--at the end of the climate talks.
"Negotiators are avoiding making the real commitments that are required to meet their stated goals of keeping warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius," organizers write. "On December 12, we will honor the victims of climate change with beautiful things to see and build, and make plans with the global movement that has gathered in Paris for the coming years. We will lay down red lines of climate safety that must not be crossed, and collectively pledge to act so that they are not."
"This will be our demonstration of hope, power and strength that we will hold as we bring the fight back to the fossil fuel industry in 2016," the statement continues.
Author and activist Naomi Klein spoke Monday in Paris of the need for the Dec. 12 action, and said that people must recognize the urgency of climate crisis and must also say "yes to the world we want."
"We have run out of time. This is our historical moment.
"Let us not disappoint. The stakes are simply too high.
"Now is not the time for small steps.
"Now is the time for boldness," Klein said.
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
As the United Nations climate talks in Paris near their end, global activists on Thursday said people power needs to step in where governments are failing while announcing plans for upcoming mass mobilizations that aim to "keep fossil fuels in the ground and accelerate a just transition to 100% renewable energy."
Acts of civil disobedience scheduled for May 2016, slated to occur in at least a dozen countries across the globe from the U.S. to Nigeria to Australia, are necessary, the organizers write on the breakfree2016.org website. "Our actions must reflect the scale and urgency of this crisis in a way that governments can no longer ignore."
Among the groups organizing the Break Free from Fossil Fuels mobilization are 350.org, Attac, Greenpeace International, and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice.
From their statement:
We now have a unique opportunity to end the use of destructive fossil fuels and choose a clean energy future.
This May we hope to see more people than ever commit to joining actions that disrupt the industry's power by targeting the world's most dangerous fossil fuel projects, and supporting the most ambitious climate solutions.
Imagine: tens of thousands of people around the world rising up to take back control of their own destinies. Walking arm-in-arm into coal fields. Sitting down to block the business of governments and industry that threaten our future. Marching in peaceful defense of our right to clean energy.
We are close to a historic, global shift in our energy system. The way we get there is by action that names those who are responsible for climate change, takes power back for the people, and forces governments to act.
This is the moment we've been waiting for, let's seize it.
Among those speaking at a press conference announcing the Break Free actions were Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, environmental justice activist Nnimmo Bassey, and 350.org's Payal Parekh. Some of their remarks were highlighted on Twitter:
Climate activists are also gearing up for a mobilization on Saturday in Paris--in defiance of a protest ban--at the end of the climate talks.
"Negotiators are avoiding making the real commitments that are required to meet their stated goals of keeping warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius," organizers write. "On December 12, we will honor the victims of climate change with beautiful things to see and build, and make plans with the global movement that has gathered in Paris for the coming years. We will lay down red lines of climate safety that must not be crossed, and collectively pledge to act so that they are not."
"This will be our demonstration of hope, power and strength that we will hold as we bring the fight back to the fossil fuel industry in 2016," the statement continues.
Author and activist Naomi Klein spoke Monday in Paris of the need for the Dec. 12 action, and said that people must recognize the urgency of climate crisis and must also say "yes to the world we want."
"We have run out of time. This is our historical moment.
"Let us not disappoint. The stakes are simply too high.
"Now is not the time for small steps.
"Now is the time for boldness," Klein said.
As the United Nations climate talks in Paris near their end, global activists on Thursday said people power needs to step in where governments are failing while announcing plans for upcoming mass mobilizations that aim to "keep fossil fuels in the ground and accelerate a just transition to 100% renewable energy."
Acts of civil disobedience scheduled for May 2016, slated to occur in at least a dozen countries across the globe from the U.S. to Nigeria to Australia, are necessary, the organizers write on the breakfree2016.org website. "Our actions must reflect the scale and urgency of this crisis in a way that governments can no longer ignore."
Among the groups organizing the Break Free from Fossil Fuels mobilization are 350.org, Attac, Greenpeace International, and the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice.
From their statement:
We now have a unique opportunity to end the use of destructive fossil fuels and choose a clean energy future.
This May we hope to see more people than ever commit to joining actions that disrupt the industry's power by targeting the world's most dangerous fossil fuel projects, and supporting the most ambitious climate solutions.
Imagine: tens of thousands of people around the world rising up to take back control of their own destinies. Walking arm-in-arm into coal fields. Sitting down to block the business of governments and industry that threaten our future. Marching in peaceful defense of our right to clean energy.
We are close to a historic, global shift in our energy system. The way we get there is by action that names those who are responsible for climate change, takes power back for the people, and forces governments to act.
This is the moment we've been waiting for, let's seize it.
Among those speaking at a press conference announcing the Break Free actions were Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, environmental justice activist Nnimmo Bassey, and 350.org's Payal Parekh. Some of their remarks were highlighted on Twitter:
Climate activists are also gearing up for a mobilization on Saturday in Paris--in defiance of a protest ban--at the end of the climate talks.
"Negotiators are avoiding making the real commitments that are required to meet their stated goals of keeping warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius," organizers write. "On December 12, we will honor the victims of climate change with beautiful things to see and build, and make plans with the global movement that has gathered in Paris for the coming years. We will lay down red lines of climate safety that must not be crossed, and collectively pledge to act so that they are not."
"This will be our demonstration of hope, power and strength that we will hold as we bring the fight back to the fossil fuel industry in 2016," the statement continues.
Author and activist Naomi Klein spoke Monday in Paris of the need for the Dec. 12 action, and said that people must recognize the urgency of climate crisis and must also say "yes to the world we want."
"We have run out of time. This is our historical moment.
"Let us not disappoint. The stakes are simply too high.
"Now is not the time for small steps.
"Now is the time for boldness," Klein said.