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Climate Action Is In the Air
Leaders are responding because the public demand for action is undeniable.
Jun 11, 2015
The following remarks were made at the conclusion of the UN climate talks, which formally concluded in Bonn, Germany, on Thursday.
This week -- and the past few months -- have seen an incredible surge of momentum for climate action around the world. Climate action is in the air.
"Much more work to be done, but change is going to come."
People, businesses, faith communities, and even some politicians, are showing that they are ready to turn away from fossil fuels and towards a 100% renewable energy future.I have a three-page list of accomplishments from outside this process, but since there's limited time, let me share just a few highlights.
First, the fossil fuel divestment campaign is on a winning streak.
Last week, Norway's $890 billion dollar government pension fund sold close to $9 billion worth of coal investments. In the last month, Oxford University, Edinburgh University, Georgetown University, the insurance company AXA and more, have also made divestment commitments with banks like Credit Agricole refusing to finance new coal. And campaigns continue to grow at hundreds more institutions around the world.
Businesses are also moving their money in the right direction. IKEA recently pledged EUR1 billion euro of climate finance. No offense to rich countries, but if a furniture store is making a EUR1 billion euro commitment, you could probably up your game.
Some politicians do seem to be getting the message. The mountain air must have been invigorating, because this week the G7 leaders announced an end to the fossil fuel age, agreeing to decarbonize the global economy and transform their energy sectors. While these long-term goals are promising, short-term action is still grossly lacking. In the real world, the only way to match that rhetoric will be for the G7 to start leaving fossil fuels in the ground, while providing the finance and support for others to do the same.
Let's look at the road map to get to this fossil-free destination.
Leaders are responding because the public demand for action is undeniable. New data from World Wide Views show that 80% of people around the world are very concerned about climate change. And 68% of citizens think tackling climate change will improve their quality of life. Also, according to a report by the International Trade Union Confederation - 9 out of 10 people want to see leaders take climate action.
That demand will only grow louder over the months ahead.
Just next week, we will welcome the Pope's climate encyclical, which we expect to issue a clear moral call for action. Soon after, the medical community will weigh in on the health impacts of climate change with the new Lancet commission report.
And the people will keep marching: mobilizations are planned across Europe and around the world. Just this morning, activists with the German group Ende Gelande hosted an action training outside this conference center to prepare for a mass protest of the Rhineland coal mines, the largest source of CO2 emissions in Europe, located just 40km from here in Bonn.
All these actions should send shivers down the spines of the fossil fuel industry. Much more work to be done, but change is going to come. In many places it already has.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
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 has always been 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, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Hoda Baraka
Hoda Baraka is the Chief Communications Officer for 350.org. Previous work experience includes: environmental journalism, photographer, consultant, freelance project manager and teaching assistant at the American University in Cairo.
co2 emissionsdivestmentclimate action350.orgfossil fuel industryfossil fuelsfossil fuel divestmentgermanyparis agreementclimate finance
The following remarks were made at the conclusion of the UN climate talks, which formally concluded in Bonn, Germany, on Thursday.
This week -- and the past few months -- have seen an incredible surge of momentum for climate action around the world. Climate action is in the air.
"Much more work to be done, but change is going to come."
People, businesses, faith communities, and even some politicians, are showing that they are ready to turn away from fossil fuels and towards a 100% renewable energy future.I have a three-page list of accomplishments from outside this process, but since there's limited time, let me share just a few highlights.
First, the fossil fuel divestment campaign is on a winning streak.
Last week, Norway's $890 billion dollar government pension fund sold close to $9 billion worth of coal investments. In the last month, Oxford University, Edinburgh University, Georgetown University, the insurance company AXA and more, have also made divestment commitments with banks like Credit Agricole refusing to finance new coal. And campaigns continue to grow at hundreds more institutions around the world.
Businesses are also moving their money in the right direction. IKEA recently pledged EUR1 billion euro of climate finance. No offense to rich countries, but if a furniture store is making a EUR1 billion euro commitment, you could probably up your game.
Some politicians do seem to be getting the message. The mountain air must have been invigorating, because this week the G7 leaders announced an end to the fossil fuel age, agreeing to decarbonize the global economy and transform their energy sectors. While these long-term goals are promising, short-term action is still grossly lacking. In the real world, the only way to match that rhetoric will be for the G7 to start leaving fossil fuels in the ground, while providing the finance and support for others to do the same.
Let's look at the road map to get to this fossil-free destination.
Leaders are responding because the public demand for action is undeniable. New data from World Wide Views show that 80% of people around the world are very concerned about climate change. And 68% of citizens think tackling climate change will improve their quality of life. Also, according to a report by the International Trade Union Confederation - 9 out of 10 people want to see leaders take climate action.
That demand will only grow louder over the months ahead.
Just next week, we will welcome the Pope's climate encyclical, which we expect to issue a clear moral call for action. Soon after, the medical community will weigh in on the health impacts of climate change with the new Lancet commission report.
And the people will keep marching: mobilizations are planned across Europe and around the world. Just this morning, activists with the German group Ende Gelande hosted an action training outside this conference center to prepare for a mass protest of the Rhineland coal mines, the largest source of CO2 emissions in Europe, located just 40km from here in Bonn.
All these actions should send shivers down the spines of the fossil fuel industry. Much more work to be done, but change is going to come. In many places it already has.
Hoda Baraka
Hoda Baraka is the Chief Communications Officer for 350.org. Previous work experience includes: environmental journalism, photographer, consultant, freelance project manager and teaching assistant at the American University in Cairo.
The following remarks were made at the conclusion of the UN climate talks, which formally concluded in Bonn, Germany, on Thursday.
This week -- and the past few months -- have seen an incredible surge of momentum for climate action around the world. Climate action is in the air.
"Much more work to be done, but change is going to come."
People, businesses, faith communities, and even some politicians, are showing that they are ready to turn away from fossil fuels and towards a 100% renewable energy future.I have a three-page list of accomplishments from outside this process, but since there's limited time, let me share just a few highlights.
First, the fossil fuel divestment campaign is on a winning streak.
Last week, Norway's $890 billion dollar government pension fund sold close to $9 billion worth of coal investments. In the last month, Oxford University, Edinburgh University, Georgetown University, the insurance company AXA and more, have also made divestment commitments with banks like Credit Agricole refusing to finance new coal. And campaigns continue to grow at hundreds more institutions around the world.
Businesses are also moving their money in the right direction. IKEA recently pledged EUR1 billion euro of climate finance. No offense to rich countries, but if a furniture store is making a EUR1 billion euro commitment, you could probably up your game.
Some politicians do seem to be getting the message. The mountain air must have been invigorating, because this week the G7 leaders announced an end to the fossil fuel age, agreeing to decarbonize the global economy and transform their energy sectors. While these long-term goals are promising, short-term action is still grossly lacking. In the real world, the only way to match that rhetoric will be for the G7 to start leaving fossil fuels in the ground, while providing the finance and support for others to do the same.
Let's look at the road map to get to this fossil-free destination.
Leaders are responding because the public demand for action is undeniable. New data from World Wide Views show that 80% of people around the world are very concerned about climate change. And 68% of citizens think tackling climate change will improve their quality of life. Also, according to a report by the International Trade Union Confederation - 9 out of 10 people want to see leaders take climate action.
That demand will only grow louder over the months ahead.
Just next week, we will welcome the Pope's climate encyclical, which we expect to issue a clear moral call for action. Soon after, the medical community will weigh in on the health impacts of climate change with the new Lancet commission report.
And the people will keep marching: mobilizations are planned across Europe and around the world. Just this morning, activists with the German group Ende Gelande hosted an action training outside this conference center to prepare for a mass protest of the Rhineland coal mines, the largest source of CO2 emissions in Europe, located just 40km from here in Bonn.
All these actions should send shivers down the spines of the fossil fuel industry. Much more work to be done, but change is going to come. In many places it already has.
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