[1]Fossil Free Digest
Art by Jan Berger of Paperhand Puppet Intervention.

Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, kicking off a global
online protest that will roll into online climate strikes on Friday.

Climate strikers had originally planned street marches and disruptive
actions across the world this week, aiming at the fossil fuel industry and
its funders. Now they’ve changed course to help slow the spread of
coronavirus and save lives.

But the shake-up can’t deter us: in fact, it’s got to make our calls even
louder for a [ [link removed] ]Just Recovery that tackles inequality and the climate
crisis together. Creative online actions and an outpouring of art and song
are generating new shows of solidarity between students, Indigenous
people, workers, and families hit by COVID-19.

Tomorrow under the slogan #FightEveryCrisis, the online Global Climate
Strike will show that even if we cannot leave our homes, we are united.
Browse globalclimatestrike.net for [ [link removed] ]actions to take and new [ [link removed] ]trainings
and resources to build your organizing skills.

[ [link removed] ]Climate Strike Hub

 

In Case You Missed It 

Sunrise Movement founder Varshini Prakash, Naomi Klein, Joaquin Phoenix
and Moby joined scores of other prominent activists from climate, labor,
feminist, and racial justice movements. 

Hundreds of activists, celebrities, and scientists joined together in the
United States with youth strikers for Earth Day Live, a 3-day interactive
livestream running now through Friday - [ [link removed] ]tune in here.

Today is “Divest” day, hosted by the [ [link removed] ]Stop the Money Pipeline coalition
that’s organizing to end the financing of climate destruction. Activities
include a remote Town Hall with elected officials on People’s Bailouts,
and a digital takeover of Chase Bank branches. People will comment on
Chase’s Facebook profiles about how the bank is the world’s biggest fossil
fuel funder, and why those customers will move their money elsewhere.

Artwork promoting the digital strike in Japan. Photo: 350 Japan

Meanwhile in Nepal, activists shifted their Earth Day plans from a strike
outside the mining department to a social media storm to challenge plans
to drill for oil. And in the Philippines, youth strikers are holding an
online webinar series on digital activism to keep bringing people into the
movement. [ [link removed] ]Read more.

With lockdown extended until the end of May in Uganda, youth striker
Vanessa Nakate had even started a podcast and video series in the lead-up
to Earth Day. Read her story and [ [link removed] ]hear from more youth strikers around
the world on how they’ve adapted their organizing to this moment.

Worker solidarity: There’s no doubting the economic devastation from
coronavirus. The ILO calls it “the worst global crisis since World War
II”, with [ [link removed] ]four out of every five workers worldwide affected by hour and
wage cuts. For those in the informal sector and in societies without
public safety nets, the results [ [link removed] ]are catastrophic. As Workers’ Day
approaches on May 1, governments must do all they can to get economic
relief straight to those hit hardest: especially to communities of color
who are often most affected by climate impacts and pollution.

International Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28 will honor workers killed,
disabled, or injured by their work. We’ll be in solidarity with workers
everywhere affected by this crisis: caretakers on the frontlines,
transport and supermarket workers, and fossil fuel workers who've lost
their jobs, too. [ [link removed] ]Read more form the IUTC on how to show solidarity.

Oil tumbles: U.S. crude oil futures crashed down below 0 to -$38/barrel on
Monday evening – the lowest price ever. Prices have since jumped up, but
there’s no hiding that the fossil fuel industry is hurting in the
pandemic. “It’s another powerful example of how fossil fuels are too
volatile to be the basis of a resilient economy,” says Brett Fleishman
from 350.org. 

Fossil fuels are already heavily subsidized, and now the industry wants
even more bailouts. A new study shows putting major investment in
renewables instead [ [link removed] ]could quadruple green jobs and displace the
majority of fossil fuel emissions by 2050.

Art by Mona Caron for the Just Recovery Arts Kit (original image has been
cropped).

Green Deals: 17 EU nations now [ [link removed] ]support a coronavirus recovery plan
based on a European Green Deal. And in South Korea, the incumbent party
that [ [link removed] ]campaigned on a Green New Deal won a majority to go ahead. The UN
Secretary general advocated for [ [link removed] ]green stimulus over polluter bailouts,
and now proposals are emerging for a [ [link removed] ]Global Green New Deal that would
grant debt relief to developing countries, freeing up resources so they
can support their own workers. It’d also coordinate large-scale investment
from North to South in green jobs and technology, reducing inequality.

Divestment wins: Even in these tough times, local groups are stopping
their campaign targets from putting money into the fossil fuel industry.
[ [link removed] ]University of Guelph in Canada passed a motion for full divestment,
and [ [link removed] ]American University just dumped the last of their fossil fuel
stocks. Well done!

One to Watch 

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

We can’t gather in the streets today: but we can still stand up for each
other and seize this opportunity for a more just society. It’s up to each
of us to use our voice – and right now, Peace Poets are giving us a chance
to do just that, by participating in a global music video. Follow
[ [link removed] ]these step-by-step instructions to take part.

Use Your Power

 
Selected Just Recovery Art from the kit. Artists from left to right: Woo
Qiyun, Jhon Cortes, and Nicky Minus.

Many of you have signed on to the [ [link removed] ]5 Principles for a Just Recovery,
and now it’s time to bring them to life. We’re asking people everywhere to
share their stories of what a Just Recovery means to them. What do the 5
principles look like in your community, and what do you dream of seeing?

You can share on social media with the hashtag #JustRecovery. Use the new
[ [link removed] ]Arts Kit to find inspiration – and it’s the perfect time to create and
share your own art with us and the world, too. [ [link removed] ]Here’s more info on
how.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with – until then, take care, and
I’ll be back soon with more global news.

Nicole

 
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Fossil Free News is a global newsletter published every two weeks, with
climate organizing stories from campaigns working for a just and
equitable world, free from fossil fuels.

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