As scientists published their clearest warning yet about the consequences of failing to act to stop climate change, Friends of the Earth International’s members around the world mobilized for #ClimateJustice and against #DirtyEnergy. There is still time to stop runaway climate change—people want action now!

In October 2018 our Week of Action gave us a collective opportunity to raise our voices, together with communities and allies, by joining and participating in protests, actions, gatherings and workshops. We reject the continued onslaught of dirty energy and other climate-wrecking projects—we are resisting new oil exploration and exploitation, fighting fracking, ditching dams and saving forests. Our energy systems need to be transformed to tackle climate change.

The Week of Action – part of the Reclaim Power Campaign 2018 – began with a stark warning from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s new Special Report on Global Warming at 1.5 degrees. As Karin Nansen, Chair of Friends of the Earth International explains: “This is a climate emergency”. We need new international energy systems and an end to dirty energy to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees without the need for dangerous techno-fixes.

Our member groups around the world are helping to sound the alarm, mobilizing for an urgent, equitable and ambitious response to the climate emergency.

 

 

Youth and environmental activists with KFEM/Friends of the Earth Korea demanded real movement on climate change outside the launch of this critical IPCC report, in Incheon, Korea.

Friends of the Earth Australia described the IPCC report as a stark wake-up call for Australia’s Federal Coalition, demonstrating that its head-in-the-sand approach exposes communities to intensifying heat waves, droughts, bushfires, and extreme weather.

Friends of the Earth Europe, mobilizing for a #fossilfree Europe, warned that Europe was not doing nearly enough to end the fossil fuel age, even though a “safer, fairer and cleaner fossil-free” Europe is within reach if the political will is there.

And Friends of the Earth groups and their allies took action across the world to highlight the climate crisis and to stop dirty energy.

The week kicked off with news of an amazing victory – BUND/Friends of the Earth Germany’s legal action to delay one of the last remaining pieces of the ancient Hambach forest from being destroyed to expand an enormous opencast coal mine was successful and the bulldozers have been stopped until next year at least. A protest rally became an extraordinary celebration as 50,000 people gathered together at the forest to demonstrate.

And there was more great news during the week in the Netherlands, with an historic victory for the Urgenda Climate Case. The Court of Appeal upheld that the Dutch Government must protect its citizens from climate change. This could set an amazing precedent for Milieudefensie/Friends of the Earth Netherlands’ case against Shell!

Friends of the Earth Togo highlighted the impacts and risks of offshore oil exploitation with a press event.

They also launched a video about their work with communities fighting the threat of offshore oil in Togo.

Challenging megadams and ‘the trap’ of mini-dams is critical to pulling the plug on climate change in countries such as Colombia, Honduras, Mexico and Mozambique. Despite the tense atmosphere in Mozambique, where public actions are currently prohibited, Justiça Ambiental!/Friends of the Earth Mozambique has secured billboards publicly opposing the Mphanda Nkuwa mega-dam, and monoculture plantations that prevent climate justice and food sovereignty.

Otros Mundos/Friends of the Earth Mexico organised a workshop explaining why mini-dams are false solutions.

CENSAT Agua Viva/Friends of the Earth Colombia  joined allies for the Second National Encounter of the Rios Vivos Colombia coalition, highlighting that water and energy are not commodities, but are vital to peoples’ lives and climate justice.

Friends of the Earth South Africa/groundWork held a ‘gasdown frackdown’ event as part of the global gasdown frackdown against gas and fracking culminating in this powerful statement.

Friends of the Earth Croatia also held a gasdown event linked to the IPCC 1.5 report release, and called on the Government to stop investing in coal, oil and gas.

Friends of the Earth England Wales and Northern Ireland have also been involved in a Week of Action supporting communities determined to stop fracking in their neighborhoods.

Despite a last bid legal challenge by Friends of the Earth EWNI to stop fracking and blockages of the site, fracking begun on Monday 15 October after seven years of activism to prevent it. Friends of the Earth International stands in solidarity with those communities now living with fracking – an insane move in the week following the IPCC 1.5 report.

Friends of the Earth Scotland, together with Young Friends of the Earth Scotland, demonstrated that the Scottish Government’s new Climate Bill will fail to deliver the ‘rapid and far-reaching transitions’ needed. They illustrated the choices that need to be made right now, through two alternative messages from the future.

Friends of the Earth France had a very busy week, beginning with participation in the Alternatiba Tour…

…And then in actions against Société Générale….

…And finally in the massive civil society climate change mobilizations on 13 October, with over 100,000 people!

Costa Rica hosted a regional energy conference creating important spaces to consider climate change and system crisis, and energy democracy and just transitions/green jobs, together with invited speakers from Friends of the Earth International.

Friends of the Earth Australia combined a focus on wiping out waste and combating climate change with good company and plenty of exercise!

Local Friends of the Earth groups in Spain also chose a cultural approach, launching the publication ‘Sinfonía para el cambio: activismo frente al cambio climático’ (Symphony for change: activism against climate change), combining music and inspiration.

Friends of the Earth Finland’s community energy (Yhteisöenergia) campaign joined ‘Fridays with Greta’, the weekly demonstration organized by 15-year-old Greta Thunberg, who plans to sit in front of the Swedish Parliament every Friday until Sweden is on the path to limit global warming below 2 degrees.

Friends of the Earth Japan visited Wales to put pressure on Hitachi to stop the building of a nuclear power plant on the Isle of Anglesey.

SAM/Friends of the Earth Malaysia used the week to highlight climate issues through social media.

NOAH/Friends of the Earth Denmark’s street circus juggled with flames to demonstrate that indefinite economic growth means that we are – literally – playing with fire.

MTVSZ/Friends of the Earth Hungary’s colorful action called for massive community and publicly-owned solar energy.

In Geneva, thousands of people marched, linking climate justice to the need for a UN Binding Treaty ending corporate impunity for human rights abuses, which are often related to the energy sector and global trade in fossil fuels.

Our mobilizations and collaboration with others around the world show that when we speak and advocate together, People Power works!

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