This Is What It Looks Like When People All Over The World Break Free From Fossil Fuels
Over the last 9 days a global wave of actions to keep fossil fuels in the ground has been gathering momentum all over the world. Words alone are not enough to describe how powerful this moment of action is.
If you've missed any of it, here's what's happened so far in just the first 9 days of Break Free:
It started in Wales, where over 300 people shut down the UK's largest open-cast coal mine for a day.
Over the last 9 days a global wave of actions to keep fossil fuels in the ground has been gathering momentum all over the world. Words alone are not enough to describe how powerful this moment of action is.
If you've missed any of it, here's what's happened so far in just the first 9 days of Break Free:
It started in Wales, where over 300 people shut down the UK's largest open-cast coal mine for a day.
Hours later, 10,000 people from all over the Philippines gathered in Batangas City to demand an end to coal.
In Christchurch, New Zealand, hundreds of people held one of the country's largest banks, ANZ, accountable for their role in funding and profiting from climate change.
At the historic site of Nigeria's first oil well, people demonstrated the environmental and social damage that happens when the oil goes dry and the community is left with only the pollution and none of the wealth to clear it up.
Then back in New Zealand, protesters shut down another ANZ branch, this time in Wellington.
Then on Wednesday thousands of people from coal impacted communities in Indonesia, rallied in the capital, Jakarta.
All this, and it's not over yet. There are many more powerful actions planned between now and May 15.
As each action unfolded this week, people from all over the world expressed their solidarity through the Break Free Digital Witness project, which provides live support and amplification for activists as they take to the streets (or coal mine, or water, or anywhere else). You can still be a Digital Witness for the actions to come -- click here to join, I know folks on the ground would really appreciate it.
You can see all of the amazing photos from last week and follow the remaining actions as they happen at breakfree2016.org.
The next few days will also be incredible, not least of all because together these actions set the stage for the just transition to 100% renewable energy that this overheating planet needs.
Thank you for being a part of it.
FINAL DAY! This is urgent.
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 hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break 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 |
Over the last 9 days a global wave of actions to keep fossil fuels in the ground has been gathering momentum all over the world. Words alone are not enough to describe how powerful this moment of action is.
If you've missed any of it, here's what's happened so far in just the first 9 days of Break Free:
It started in Wales, where over 300 people shut down the UK's largest open-cast coal mine for a day.
Hours later, 10,000 people from all over the Philippines gathered in Batangas City to demand an end to coal.
In Christchurch, New Zealand, hundreds of people held one of the country's largest banks, ANZ, accountable for their role in funding and profiting from climate change.
At the historic site of Nigeria's first oil well, people demonstrated the environmental and social damage that happens when the oil goes dry and the community is left with only the pollution and none of the wealth to clear it up.
Then back in New Zealand, protesters shut down another ANZ branch, this time in Wellington.
Then on Wednesday thousands of people from coal impacted communities in Indonesia, rallied in the capital, Jakarta.
All this, and it's not over yet. There are many more powerful actions planned between now and May 15.
As each action unfolded this week, people from all over the world expressed their solidarity through the Break Free Digital Witness project, which provides live support and amplification for activists as they take to the streets (or coal mine, or water, or anywhere else). You can still be a Digital Witness for the actions to come -- click here to join, I know folks on the ground would really appreciate it.
You can see all of the amazing photos from last week and follow the remaining actions as they happen at breakfree2016.org.
The next few days will also be incredible, not least of all because together these actions set the stage for the just transition to 100% renewable energy that this overheating planet needs.
Thank you for being a part of it.
Over the last 9 days a global wave of actions to keep fossil fuels in the ground has been gathering momentum all over the world. Words alone are not enough to describe how powerful this moment of action is.
If you've missed any of it, here's what's happened so far in just the first 9 days of Break Free:
It started in Wales, where over 300 people shut down the UK's largest open-cast coal mine for a day.
Hours later, 10,000 people from all over the Philippines gathered in Batangas City to demand an end to coal.
In Christchurch, New Zealand, hundreds of people held one of the country's largest banks, ANZ, accountable for their role in funding and profiting from climate change.
At the historic site of Nigeria's first oil well, people demonstrated the environmental and social damage that happens when the oil goes dry and the community is left with only the pollution and none of the wealth to clear it up.
Then back in New Zealand, protesters shut down another ANZ branch, this time in Wellington.
Then on Wednesday thousands of people from coal impacted communities in Indonesia, rallied in the capital, Jakarta.
All this, and it's not over yet. There are many more powerful actions planned between now and May 15.
As each action unfolded this week, people from all over the world expressed their solidarity through the Break Free Digital Witness project, which provides live support and amplification for activists as they take to the streets (or coal mine, or water, or anywhere else). You can still be a Digital Witness for the actions to come -- click here to join, I know folks on the ground would really appreciate it.
You can see all of the amazing photos from last week and follow the remaining actions as they happen at breakfree2016.org.
The next few days will also be incredible, not least of all because together these actions set the stage for the just transition to 100% renewable energy that this overheating planet needs.
Thank you for being a part of it.

