Stronger Together
Ten grassroots movements join forces to establish a common and collaborative platform for financing and knowledge sharing.
Why an International 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 grassroots movements, 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, our activist engagement is not a luxury or a leisure time activity—but a necessity.
We share a common vision:
👉🏽 Just transition to fossil-free societies based on the principles of sufficiency and reparations.
👉🏽 A financial system that respects nature, prioritizes ecological and social justice and is truly in service of, and controlled by, the people
👉🏽 Full respect of free prior informed consent and of the right to self-determination of all peoples.
Fundraising and strategic platform
As, already limited, funding decreases and as costs go up, it is essential that activists have the means 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 administrative 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 uses existing structures. It’s an additional interface to widen financing and strategic exchanges for a collaboration, today of ten movements in five countries. Here is the list of countries:
- France: repression of movements that are for regenerative agriculture, against highways (e.g. A69), against pesticides (2 million-signature petition against Duplomb law), fossil banks (e.g. BNP Paribas) and oil and gas (e.g. TotalEnergies). Extreme right wing strong presence, a centre and right wing that votes with the extreme right.
- Netherlands: recent mass mobilization results, repression of movements.
- Spain: progressive government coalition, oil and gas Repsol, fossil bank Banco Santander. A country that is particularly vulnerable to extreme weather (storms, floods, drought and forest fires) and desertification. Rising extreme right wing.
- Switzerland: important fossil financial, trading and insurance centre, recent win at ECHR, European Court of Human Rights against Switzerland, consequences of 2.5 degrees C warming on the Alps (glacier collapse on a Swiss village), country with an extreme right wing party that’s the biggest group in parliament.
- UK: one of two with Norway European big fossil fuel expanding countries and top world financial centre, repression of grassroots movements and criminalization of peaceful protest.
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 ecocidal projects. They bring together climate activists, farmers, defenders 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 favour 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 disrupts 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/
Geef Tegengas is a recent movement coming together for a just transition, free from exploitation and colonialism. Their goals are to stop new gas infrastructure, to build movement for just transition and to stop and repair the harm. https://tegengas.camp/en
Spain
Ecologistas En Acción 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 groups against the ravages committed by Spanish multinationals in the Global South. In particular, several of its groups are targeting neocolonial oil company Repsol, a global carbon emitter which recently was responsible for the biggest oil spill in Peru’s history, and for which it is denying responsability. 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 defence 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, BreakFree helped organize the Peoples’ Forum for Climate Justice and Financial Regulation and initiated the Peoples’ Coalition against Extractivism. https://breakfreesuisse.org/
Based in Basel, 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 organized to bring the issue to the attention of the media. https://www.climatejustice.ch/
United Kingdom
Zero Hour is the campaign group behind the Climate & Nature 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 & Nature Bill is a plan to: 1.) Make sure the UK cuts its emissions fairly and fully to stand the best chance to keep to 1.5°C, 2.) Make sure the UK reverses the destruction of nature by 2030, 3.) Involve citizens in deciding the fairest way forward (citizen assemblies). 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: 1.) network building, (bringing grassroots groups together to grow the movement’s scale, diversity and power as opposed to building groups in their name) 2.) taking action, (provide training, resources, microgrants and digital tools to help groups innovate and experiment in taking bigger, bolder and more sustained action together) and 3.) 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/