We must end the Era of Fossil Fuels.
Days until September 15 strike
We must end the Era of Fossil Fuels. Scientists have warned us of the dire consequences of fossil fuel dependency for many years, and affected communities have testified to their disastrous impacts. Yet they have been brushed aside. Our wealthiest nations’ leaders have failed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the most privileged 1% continue to live in excess while the most vulnerable remain on the frontlines of a crisis they did not create. Already marginalized and disadvantaged communities face the worst impacts while their resilience is stretched.
The fossil fuel industry runs on greed and exploitation, sacrificing the lives of others in order to line their pockets. Our reliance on coal, oil, and gas wreaks havoc on our planet and society, with its highest tolls imposed upon the Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA). The fossil fuel industry demands billions of dollars in subsidies, investments, and payouts while cashing in exponentially more.
We must end the Era of Fossil Fuels, not only for the sake of our planet and our survival but to break free from the chains of neocolonialism. Fossil fuel extraction perpetuates a cycle of colonial dominance.
Multinational and national corporations like Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Total Energies, Chevron, Pemex, Petronas, BHP, Rio Tinto, Shenhua and even greenwashing companies like RWE, Siemens, Iberdrola and many more, powered by governments, wealthy individuals, banks and financial institutions, descend upon rural, peripheral and vulnerable communities, exploiting people and the environment for the profits of corrupt political elites.
Silencing the voices of those who are speaking up, those who are witnessing the catastrophic destruction of ecosystems, societies, and the lifelines of our planet just for the ‘economic gain’ of a small minority at the expense of many. The resulting environmental degradation exacerbates vulnerability to climate change, intensifying and perpetuating a system of exploitation and colonialism, and criminalization of those who fight to defend nature.
But despite this, the people are rising. We’re fighting against the fossil fuel industry. We’re resisting the development of new pipelines and the expansion of extractivist practices that cost so many lives. We’re confronting false solutions powered by green capitalism. We’re challenging the continuation of business as usual. We’re fighting to end the Era of Fossil Fuels. For the next Global Climate Strike on September 15th 2023 we’re demanding:
- An end to Fossil Finance, divesting from new and current fossil fuel projects.
- A rapid, just, and equitable phase-out of all fossil fuels, ensuring that the burdens and benefits are re-distributed fairly among different stakeholders, with particular attention to historically marginalized and vulnerable communities.
- Massive investments in community owned renewable energy projects.
- Reparations for the harms caused to communities affected by the climate crisis and its structural causes, as well as enforcement of the Loss and Damage Fund, with special emphasis of historical polluters paying into the Fun
THIS IS A MOMENT LIKE NEVER BEFORE
The Global Climate Strike is part of the truly global effort to End The Era of Fossil Fuels. This is a call to action from Indigenous and First Nations, youth activists, civil society organisations, social movements, feminist and migrant rights groups, trade unions, faith institutions, academic centres, health institutions, people of all genders and backgrounds, everywhere. Join us on September 15 & 17, 2023.
We need all hands on deck to win this fight.