Today marks the beginning of a month of worldwide public protest and action to say no to dirty energy, and to support clean, renewable alternatives.
As part of the ‘Reclaim Power‘ month, Friends of the Earth Europe will construct a people’s windmill outside the European Parliament in Brussels on 7th November to show that people should be at the centre of renewable energy.
Clean, community-owned energy already exists and is a real solution to climate change. But it needs more momentum and political support. We’ll be telling our decision-makers to put people at the heart of a clean energy future.
Register to be part of this exciting event here.
Or if you want to find an action near you or to start your own, this toolkit has been created to help you.
Recent reports from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency demonstrate the need for a revolution in how societies generate their power and that almost two thirds of known reserves of fossil fuels must remain underground if we wish to prevent catastrophic climate change.
This month gives people the opportunity to protest against the dirty energy of the past and to demand a clean energy future in the run up to the vital UN Climate Change Conference which begins in Warsaw on November 11th.
Susann Scherbarth, climate campaigner from Friends of the Earth Europe said: “Citizens need to reclaim their power from the fossil fuel corporations who are determined to keep us locked into their business model at the cost of climate catastrophe. People need to demand a fundamental transformation to democratic, local renewable energy solutions which benefit the entire community.”
People can add any energy activity they are planning to the global map of actions. Each action, large or small, will contribute to strengthening the global movement for a world free of dirty energy projects, and for real community energy solutions.
The month of action is divided into the following theme weeks:
- 11 October: annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, we will call on these institutions to stop public subsidies for fossil fuel projects.
- 19 October: Global Frackdown – global action day against hydraulic fracturing, one of the most extreme forms of fossil fuel extraction.
- 20-27 October: People vs Coal – the dirtiest and most polluting industry is befriending governments to directly influence public decisions.
- 28 October – 3 November: Shell, clean up your mess! Shell has failed to clean up decades of pollution in the Niger Delta, we need to stand with the most affected communities
- 4-11 November: Community Power – communities across the world are building democratic renewable alternatives.
Friends of the Earth Europe is part of a worldwide initiative to help organise this month of action along with Greenpeace International, 350.org, Push Europe, La Via Campesina, Action Aid International and many more groups.
