[1]Fossil Free Digest
Friends,

As the global response to COVID-19 strengthens, we’re seeing countless
acts of compassion, community solidarity, and resilience, even as the
death toll grows.

Doctors, nurses, and ordinary workers all over have been pushing ahead on
the frontlines to slow the rate of transmission. Yet there’ve been some
stark reminders that the climate crisis doesn’t stop amid a global
pandemic.

The strongest storm of the year slammed into the Pacific islands of Fiji
and Vanuatu last week. On top of that, fossil fuel companies are
exploiting this moment to drive forward more climate-wrecking projects.

It’s enraging – and that’s why it’s so important that we all unite right
now around the principles for a [ [link removed] ]Just Recovery from COVID-19. Thousands
of organisations and people across the world have already signed on.

Our coronavirus response must put people and planet – not corporations and
polluting industries – first. It’s the only way we can build back better
from this crisis. [ [link removed] ]Please watch and share this new video about the 5
Just Recovery principles now, so that our voices are heard around the
globe.

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In the news below, you’ll find plenty of stories from people keeping up
their campaign efforts even in these tough times, giving us all a shot at
a more sustainable, just future.

In solidarity,
Nicole

In Case You Missed It 

Cyclone Harold: A deadly category 5 storm – the strongest of 2020 so far –
slammed into the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu just as the country
declared a national emergency for COVID-19. Some residents have had to
ignore distancing orders and seek refuge in evacuation centers. Medical
supplies are already scant. The cyclone then ravaged its way through Fiji
and Tonga, having already [ [link removed] ]killed 27 people in the Solomon Islands the
week prior.

“We now face two life-threatening disasters at once – and both threaten
the existence of an already disadvantaged people,” said Fenton
Lutunatabua, Pacific Managing Director at 350.org. It’s a harrowing
example of the injustice of the climate crisis, which hits those who did
the least to cause it hardest. [ [link removed] ]Read more

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‘Unacceptable’: Activists are sounding the alarm as the oil industry
[ [link removed] ]takes advantage of this moment of crisis to push ever more fossil
fuels. With talks underway in the United States for a fourth stimulus
package on infrastructure, thousands are [ [link removed] ]writing to Congress to make
sure Big Oil doesn’t see a penny.

And the Keystone XL pipeline is trying to go forward, after some states
[ [link removed] ]pushed through new measures protecting pipelines as “critical
infrastructure.” TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) has dispatched workers
along the route despite the public health threat, putting them and
[ [link removed] ]vulnerable rural and Indigenous communities at risk.

We can’t let fossil fuel companies manipulate COVID-19 at the expense of
our communities: [ [link removed] ]sign the petition now to demand TC Energy halt their
Keystone XL activity and withdraw its workers now.

Hundreds took part in a coordinated online Climate Strike hosted in Turkey
last Friday.

Climate action continues: The UN announced that its annual climate talks –
[ [link removed] ]COP26 due to be held in Glasgow – will be postponed because of
coronavirus. But organizers are adapting their plans and holding online
actions to keep climate and a Just Recovery on the agenda.

In Turkey last Friday April 3, a hundreds-strong digital strike and
livestream concert featuring Turkish artists was broadcast on Youtube,
with thousands more tuning in. Expect more #ClimateStrikeOnline actions
from across the globe this coming Friday – and please keep posting your
own solidarity snapshots on social media. 

If you’re looking for actions to run from home, try [ [link removed] ]these creative
ideas from our Coronavirus Organizing guide. And if your climate justice
group is shifting to an online format for the first time, you can request
‘hands-on’, one-to-one coaching from our group of experienced facilitators
by [ [link removed] ]filling out the form here.

#CutAllTies: Ahead of Rio Tinto’s annual general meeting last Wednesday,
people took to social media and email to tell the mining giant to ditch
Australia’s Mineral Council, one of the world’s biggest fossil fuel
lobbying groups. The company has [ [link removed] ]already admitted the Council is
undermining the 2015 Paris Agreement by promoting coal. [ [link removed] ]Take a moment
to write to Rio Tinto and tell them it’s time to cut all ties with the
Council. It’s a simple and effective campaign action to take, even in
isolation.

Just Recovery: Amid the COVID-19 emergency response, we’re starting to see
Just Recovery principles put into action. Portugal will [ [link removed] ]treat migrants
as residents to ensure they have access to basic health services, and
Spain intends to set up a [ [link removed] ]permanent basic universal income to help
people recover from the economic devastation. In Ukraine, [ [link removed] ]people are
opposing cuts to health care and education budgets that would maintain
coal subsidies, while activists in the UK are calling for [ [link removed] ]strict
climate conditions on airlines. And this New York landlord [ [link removed] ]cancelled
April rent for his tenants, urging them to stay safe and support loved
ones.

If you haven’t yet, make sure you [ [link removed] ]read and sign on to the Just
Recovery principles. You can use the #JustRecovery hashtag to share
inspiring local and national examples that embody them.

[ [link removed] ]Sign on

 

Podcast Corner

This new podcast series from HEATED looks at the relationship between
coronavirus and the climate crisis. The first episode featuring 350.org
co-founder Bill McKibben is [ [link removed] ]available here, and you'll find new
episodes when they’re released on [ [link removed] ]the HEATED site. Bonus: you get
special access to extended interviews if you subscribe.

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Inside Story

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Hear from Hinako, from the 350 Japan team, as she reports back on their
Moshi Moshi bank call-in campaign. Three of the world’s biggest coal
financiers are Japanese banks – so the team decided to mobilize people to
call customer hotlines and push them to change their policies. [ [link removed] ]Read
more on how they did it, and find out what’s next

That's the news for now – we’ll be back in your inbox soon with more.
Until then, stay safe, stay strong, and take care. 

 
[ [link removed] ]View this email online

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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