"For decades we have made it clear that we don't want drilling and mining in our territories."

– Marlon Vargas, President of CONFENIAE

The coronavirus has laid bare the brutality and injustice of our current economic system. Although financial institutions over the past few months have attempted to make sweeping climate commitments, they continue to fall short, and now financial giants are looking to profit off of the pandemic chaos.

Fossil fuel companies are not far behind, elbowing to be first in line for federal bailout money and corporate tax breaks while pushing for lower environmental regulations, as communities around the world struggle to meet their most basic needs. We can't allow public funds to be diverted into worsening the climate crisis, the impacts of which continue to unfold even as we deal with COVID-19.

That's why this year, on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we're taking action online at a scale the climate movement has never seen before.

In our most recent report, Investing in Amazon Crude, we found that financial giants Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, and HSBC provided billions of dollars for oil extraction in the western Amazon. Despite recent commitments from many of these firms to make more environmentally-sustainable business decisions, their money trail tells a different story. They cannot be hailed as leaders in the environmental justice movement while continuing to finance the industries most responsible for climate destruction and indigenous rights violations.

For indigenous peoples in the western Amazon, the COVID-19 pandemic could not have come at a worse time. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, indigenous peoples are dealing with unprecedented flooding and a recent crude oil spill. Three Petroecuador pipelines recently burst due to erosion triggered by a landslide, and communities in Peru that share this river flow are also being affected. What will people do now that their fresh water and fish are polluted by Amazon crude? There has never been a more critical time to call for an end to all fossil fuel and deforestation activity in the Amazon.

Normally we take to the streets in response to a crisis, through marches, rallies and actions. It's not safe to do that now, so we've shifted our strategy to win.

Will you join millions of people around the world for an online three-day mobilization to stop the climate emergency? The digital event starting April 22nd will feature activists and performers hosting teach-ins, performances, and more.

RSVP for Earth Day Live to receive updates on scheduled speakers, performances, and activities!

The coronavirus has turned off the global economy, and now is our chance to change the system for the better before we turn it back on.

The global crisis we face right now is terrifying, but our best hope in moments like these is to work together. Let's reimagine what a social movement can look like in the digital age. Join us on April 23rd!