Stronger Together
Ten grassroots movements from 5 European countries join forces to establish a common and collaborative platform of financing and knowledge sharing.
Why an European Network?
The dual climate and nature crises are escalating rapidly and the most pressing emergencies of our time are not being dealt with by our governments. We do not have the time to wait for them to implement the burningly necessary regulations and financial flow shift to move toward sustainability. So, as European grassroots initiatives, we have decided to join forces in order to support and push legislators, industries, financial institutions and investors to make the changes that are needed. In the context of the polycrisis and with the increasing repression against activists, we must say that our activist engagement is not a luxury or a leisure time activity—but a necessity.
Fundraising and strategic platform
As, already limited, income decreases and as costs go up, it is essential that activists have the means to be able to carry out their critical work. Furthermore, building a sustainable network means passing on acquired knowledge that takes time and space: to help new, motivated groups to grow into the movements, to get acquainted with sustainable, regenerative and community-based practices. Most of the grassroots action we organize is based on the voluntary, unpaid contributions of activists. This is unsustainable as to organize greater action, that allows more people to join, requires more financial resources to facilitate travel, materials, communication, and legal and psychological support. It is also necessary to have administration support and campaigners paid in order to manage the different campaigns.
Climate change and the destruction of nature and of our common home knows no boundaries, and we recognize that to create real change, we are stronger together.
Who we are?
The network is strategic and use existing structures. It’s an additional interface to widen financing and strategic exchanges for a collaboration of 10 movements in 5 countries. Here is the list of the countries and reasons they were selected:
- UK: one of 2 with Norway European big fossil fuel expanding countries and financial center, criminal justice repression of movements
- France: criminal police repression of movements for regenerative agriculture, targets such as fossil banks (e.g. BNP Paribas) and oil and gas (e.g. TotalEnergies)
- Netherlands: recent mass mobilization results, criminal repression of movements
- Spain: left wing coalition, targets such as Repsol, extreme weather and desertification
- Switzerland: important financial, trading and insurance center, recent win at ECHR, European Court of Human Rights, consequences of 2.5 degrees C warming on Alps, country with the biggest extreme right wing party
United Kingdom
Zero Hour is the campaign group behind the Climate and Ecology Bill. The Bill was first developed with members of the successful ‘Big Ask’ campaign which led to the Climate Change Act 2008, and is now led by a coalition of UK campaigners, world-leading scientists, academics and members of the public. The Climate & Ecology Bill is a plan to: 1. Make sure the UK cuts its emissions fairly and fully to stand the best chance of keeping 1.5°C alive, 2. Make sure the UK reverses the destruction of nature by 2030, 3. Involve citizens in deciding the fairest way forward. https://www.zerohour.uk/
Tipping Point is helping people from all communities & backgrounds use their power & take bold and regular action together to win change. They approach this in 3 ways: network building, (bringing grassroots groups together to grow the movement’s scale, diversity and power as opposed to building groups in their name) taking actions, (provide training, resources, microgrants and digital tools to help groups innovate and experiment in taking bigger, bolder and more sustained action together) and responding to moments, (helping networks harness new energy and movement power at key strategic moments that increase popular support for climate justice solutions). https://tippingpointuk.org/
France
Terre de Luttes is one of the support channels for the Soulèvements de la Terre movement. Les Soulèvements de la Terre has set up since two years a number of rallies and action sequences involving several thousand people in various rural territories in France to fight against imposed climate- and eco-killing projects. They bring together climate activists, farmers, autonomists and activists from anti-globalization organizations such as ATTAC France. Terre de Luttes facilitates organization processes between local collectives, co-organizes meetings and trains activists. https://terresdeluttes.fr/
Since 2014, Action Justice Climat (previously Alternatiba Paris) has been articulating alternatives and resistance in favor of Climate Justice. The group has organized several large-scale mobilization events in the French capital, including blockades of the TotalEnergies general meeting in 2021 and 2022, and of the runways at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport in 2022. Alternatiba Paris has also joined forces with the Front de Mères collective in the Paris suburb of Bobigny to set up the Maison de l’Ecologie Populaire Verdragon. https://actionjusticeclimat-paris.fr/
Netherlands
Fossielvrij is tackling the climate crisis by organizing a strong, locally rooted citizens’ movement that breaks the power of coal, oil and gas corporations. Together, they ensure that public institutions such as pension funds, museums and schools sever their ties with fossil fuel companies. In this way, they limit the power of the fossil fuel industry. This creates space for a just transition to a decentralized energy system based on renewable sources. https://gofossilfree.org/nl/
Spain
Ecologistas En Accion is a confederation of some 300 groups in Spain, articulated around the struggle for a social ecology. In particular, it leads pressure campaigns aimed at companies and public authorities co-responsible for the climate and social crisis. For several years now, Ecologistas has been seeking to intensify the work of its components against the ravages committed by Spanish multinationals in the Global South. In particular, several of its groups are targeting neo-colonial oil company Repsol, a global carbon emitter which recently claimed responsibility for the biggest oil spill in Peru’s history, while doing everything in its power to deny its involvement. https://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/
ODG (Observatori del Deute en la Globalització) is a network of activists and researchers, working on climate and financial justice and the defense of the commons from an ecofeminist perspective. Part of its work aims to equip social movements with data and analysis useful for their own actions. The network conducts research and campaigns on issues such as threats to civil liberties, the boom in gas projects in Europe and worldwide, and greentech value chains. https://odg.cat/
Switzerland
For the past 7 years, BreakFree Switzerland has been targeting fossil fuel finance for climate justice and the rights of indigenous peoples and frontline communities. The intergenerational collective is behind the Tennis Roger Wake Up and Mains Rouges actions that helped undermine Credit Suisse’s reputation. It has also challenged other players such as the Swiss National Bank, UBS and the Pictet bank via several campaigns, reports and actions. In 2023, he helped organize the Peoples’ Forum for Climate Justice and Financial Regulation and initiated the Peoples’ Coalition against Extractivism. https://breakfreesuisse.org/
Based in Basel, the Collective Climate Justice led several public campaigns targeting the two major Swiss banks Credit Suisse and UBS for their role in financing fossil fuels. For years, the collective has organized regular camps open to the public on the topic of environmental and social issues making an important contribution to an intersectional understanding of the current crises. During the last two camps, the topic of climate justice has been linked with migration related struggles creating a space for a shared understanding and networking of various political groups and interested people. In addition, high-profile campaigns were organised to bring the issue to the attention of the media.
https://www.climatejustice.ch/