[1]Fossil Free Digest
Art by Ricardo Levins Morales 

Dear friends,

With coronavirus restrictions starting to loosen in some parts of the
world, many are buoyed with hope that they might soon be able to get
outside or reunite with friends and family.

But many of us are still hurting. Cases of the virus are still rising
every day, and millions have no jobs to return to. The climate crisis and
its impacts are still hitting hard – with reports that despite the
slowdown in economic activity, 2020 still might be on track to be the
[ [link removed] ]warmest year on record.

These twin crises of COVID-19 and climate breakdown show us one thing: we
have to use this moment to transform. We’re living through a societal
shift unlike any other in recent memory – and our efforts to rebuild must
continue to be bold, imaginative, and restorative.

We want you to be part of this new chapter – and help ensure that
responses to this crisis at every level support people, not polluters. We
hope you’ll join our Just Recovery online discussion on May 7 as a first
step. Sign up now:

 

[ [link removed] ]RSVP for the Webinar

 

In Case You Missed It 

Build back better: Over 500 organisations worldwide have now signed on to
the [ [link removed] ]5 Principles for a Just Recovery from COVID-19. New research from
top economists shows that mass green public investment would be the
[ [link removed] ]most cost-effective way to revive ailing economies and ensure long-term
stability. And the International Energy Agency foresees a long-term
[ [link removed] ]fallout in demand for fossil fuels, with renewables holding on. It’s a
key time to push for Just Recovery policies and global solidarity, as
governments shift from rescue to recovery mode.

Satellite image from 27 April of wildfires burning in Russia. Photo: NASA

‘Normal’ is a crisis: Climate impacts across the world this week are
adding to challenges for those already dealing with COVID-19. Millions of
acres are [ [link removed] ]burning in Siberia, and thousands have been displaced as
floods hammer [ [link removed] ]Kenya and Somalia. Evacuation orders were just lifted for
Fort McMurray, Canada – a key tar sands development area – where thousands
of Canadian workers and their families are [ [link removed] ]recovering from floods from
fast winter thaw. And as the [ [link removed] ]world’s seas simmer at record-high
temperatures, hurricane and wildfire risks are heightening.

Photo: Association to Protect Ida Mountain

Wins against coal: Despite lockdowns, campaigners are still celebrating
wins in their fights to end coal. In Turkey, Alpu plant was cancelled
after two years of [ [link removed] ]pushback from the people of Eskişehir and their
local government. This just after a court rejected the Environmental
Impact Assessment of [ [link removed] ]another 200 MW coal plant slotted for valuable
agricultural land in the Ida Mountains, where residents have resisted for
5 years.

Three major Japanese banks also announced new steps forward. Mizhuo
Financial Group will stop new investments and loans for coal power, and
Sumitomo also revised its policy. Japan’s Bank for International
Cooperation, a powerhouse of coal development in Asia, will stop accepting
loan applications for coal generation. [ [link removed] ]Read more 

 

 

Worker’s Day: Last Friday was International Workers’ Day – a chance to
stand in solidarity with essential workers who care for, feed and support
us through this crisis. Thousands took part in actions and shared
messages, from an online rally backing a workers’ strike at large U.S.
companies, to audible cacerolazos where people banged pots and pans to
show appreciation. [ [link removed] ]Read more

 

Outside the New York Federal Reserve, 3 May. Photo: New York Communities
for Change

Bull’s eye: Pressure is mounting on central banks to put workers and
families first in their coronavirus stimulus measures. [ [link removed] ]In Europe,
thousands are writing to the President of the European Central Bank (ECB)
to demand she exclude the fossil fuel industry and its investors from
economic recovery packages. And in the wake of new bailout rules in the
U.S. that could grant oil and gas companies access to stimulus money, a
[ [link removed] ]new campaign is taking aim at the Federal Reserve and its Chair. 

Similar calls are ringing out across [ [link removed] ]Africa to ensure aid coming in to
address a looming recession gets to people in serious need. 

One to Watch 

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

All workers have a right to income security and safety – especially those
taking on big risks in these hard times to keep us all safe.  [ [link removed] ]Watch as
people from the Philippines share their gratitude to mark International
Worker's Day.

That's all the global news for today – I'll see you in two weeks with more
updates. 

 
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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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