Cracks in the Fossil-Fueled Facade - May 2025
[1]May Day Strong in NYC. Credit Mel SmithMay Day Strong in New York City.
Hi John,
This was a heavy month. It marked five years since George Floyd was
murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, reigniting a mass
movement that called to reckon with who is and is not safe and free in the
U.S. Five years later, we're watching the unraveling of many of the meager
protections that were put in place for BIPOC communities. And we know that
the administration’s fossil fuel expansion and cuts to climate adaptation
also impact BIPOC communities the hardest.
It's hard to feel hopeful right now—but we are heartened by the resistance
happening at the city, state, and global levels. This month also marked
136 years since the first International Workers’ Day, known as May Day. In
1889, workers united to vastly improve working conditions in the U.S.
despite formidable odds. We draw on that same spirit and countless moments
in our own movement.
Read on for some of the seeds being sown that give us hope for climate
justice. We hope you enjoy this third edition of our new monthly
newsletter, "Cracks in the Fossil-Fueled Facade."
In solidarity
- Team 350
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Cities and States Taking the Lead
SPOTLIGHT: Hawaii. 350 Hawaii and their allies helped get four key pieces
of legislation passed for their state! These include:
* Energy efficiency standards to achieve electricity use reductions
statewide
* Funding for DLNR’s Green Jobs Youth Corps Program
* Funding for the Farm to Families Program, investing in locally
grown food sources
* Establishment of the Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority Program
Fund, which will be used to help underserved ratepayers switch to
cheaper and cleaner sources of electricity
Why this matters for us and should give us hope: These climate bills and
budget items provide a wide array of crucial climate protections that
encapsulate what climate justice is all about: a truly livable future for
all, especially those most impacted. That includes efficiency standards
and reducing emissions, but it also means jobs and financial security,
food security, and reliable energy to power people’s homes and lives
amidst worsening climate impacts.
* [ [link removed] ]Sign up to receive updates from 350 Hawaii
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Resistance Across Movements
SPOTLIGHT: May Day Strong. The labor movement and its allies came out in
force on International Workers’ Day to send a powerful message: “Working
people built this nation and we know how to take care of each other.”
Some of the rallies and signs shined a spotlight on the huge hypocrisy in
the U.S. of depending on migrant labor while also vilifying and
scapegoating migrants.
“At more than 1,000 events from Alaska to Florida, from Philly to LA,
hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to
demand a country that works for our families, not billionaires’ fortunes.”
— [ [link removed] ]May Day Strong
* What does this have to do with climate change? Both the labor and
climate movements seek to dismantle the systems that exploit people
and the planet, and to build a more livable world rooted in care,
justice, and democracy.
* [ [link removed] ]Read more about how labor and climate intersect globally
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Standing Up to the Wealthy Elite
SPOTLIGHT: Chubb. Climate activists from the African diaspora to the Gulf
have collectively campaigned to get Chubb, a global insurance company, to
drop major fossil fuel projects across continents.
Last month, our friends and allies in the StopEACOP coalition announced
that Chubb had officially refused to insure the East African Crude Oil
Pipeline (EACOP). Just weeks ago, public records revealed that Chubb was
no longer providing property insurance for the Calcasieu Pass project, a
contested LNG export terminal in southwest Louisiana. This is a massive
win across continents that shows how the Global North is intrinsically
tied to climate issues in the Global South and how we need to continue to
bridge solidarity in our collective struggles to win.
“We have been pressuring Chubb for several years now to not insure these
dangerous, polluting projects, because insuring those projects is ensuring
environmental racism in communities that are overburdened by pollution.”
— Roishetta Ozane, Founder of the Vessel Project of Louisiana ([ [link removed] ]Inside
Climate News)
* Why target insurance? Building pipelines is risky work, and fossil
fuel companies can’t do it without insurance. When insurers refuse to
underwrite a project, it presents a powerful obstacle to getting it
off the ground. Targeting insurers, like targeting banks, also helps
illustrate how the Global North ends up financing massive fossil fuel
projects that have a direct impact on the Global South—and the role
they can play in using their power to slow or stop these hazardous
pipelines. Chubb was one of the few major insurance firms that hadn’t
yet refused to insure EACOP, and thanks to public pressure, it is now
the 30th major insurer to reject the pipeline.
* [ [link removed] ]Read about 350 Africa’s campaign to replace projects like EACOP
with community-owned renewable energy
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One Thing You Can Do RIGHT NOW
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
The people clearly value their right to protest… so much so that 350US
Campaign Manager Candice Fortin’s “Protest” episode is now the highest
listened to and rated episode in the history of People Over Plastic’s
podcast! And now, it’s been shortlisted for the “Changing the World One
Moment At a Time” category in next month’s International Women's Podcast
Awards. [ [link removed] ]Listen to the episode.Listen to the episode 🎧 »
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