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Dear Jeanne Hello, and thank you again for being a part of this Fossil Free movement. As promised, here’s the second installment of this twice-monthly global digest. And thanks to your votes, we have a name: Fossil Free News. Where I live in Paris, we’re in the midst of a sweltering heat wave. It’s a sobering reminder of how our climate is changing, and the dangers it poses for people and livelihoods. Fortunately, these stories from around the world are giving me hope. I hope you enjoy them, and until next time. Nicole 
Three cities in Mato Grosso do Sul state in Brazil passed municipal fracking bans, thanks to concerted grassroots campaigning. Nova Alvorada do Sul, Bataguassu, and Rio Negro join over 380 other cities across Brazil to have banned fracking. Unfortunately, other places have backslid. On July 24, one day before summer recess, the UKgovernment approved the first fracking site in the country after a decade of debate. Local groups there, like the community around the site in Lancashire, have been mobilizing to stop and ban fracking. The UK government is also trying to change the law to allow fracking without local planning applications. Find out more about what people are doing to stop them. 
It’s dangerously hot in much of the Northern hemisphere. Wildfires dotted the Arctic circle in Sweden, and Japanhas declared a natural disaster with multiple cities breaking 40 degrees Celsius. Greece suffered deadly fires, and a heatwave in Eastern Canada also led to over 70 deaths. In California, the Carr Fire has swelled to over 125,000 acres – destroying thousands of properties and killing at least six people. Let’s face it. The climate has changed and we need to help more people start connecting the dots. 
It’s official – Justin Trudeau and the Canadian government will buy the heavily-contested Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline extension. But People’s Town Hall events have sprung up across the country in protest and indigenous-led resistance continues to strengthen this summer. Read about the latest in the fight to stop the pipeline from being built. 
A local Fossil Free group has convinced The Hague’s city government in the Netherlands to end its partnership with Shell’s greenwashing festival aimed at kids, “Generation Discover”. This is a big deal as the city is home to Shell’s headquarters. The Mayor used to subsidise the festival to the tune of €100,000 and say things like ‘Shell and The Hague belong together’. Now, thanks to 2 years of local campaigning, the municipality will no longer legitimise the climate-wrecking corporation with public money and publicity. Fossil Free Netherlands is working on a brandalism campaign for the next edition of the festival. Anyone around the world can help – email info@fossielvrijonderwijs.nl to get in touch with them. Check out our Fossil Free map if you’d like to get involved in local campaign like this much closer to home. 
Over the weekend, people were out on the streets all around the world to recruit people to join the Rise for Climate global day of action on September 8. Local groups in Indonesia, South Africa, Philippines, the United States and more joined. You can too! 
Portugal made headlines in April for covering the previous month’s electricity needs completely with renewable energy. But there’s more to do. Today, August 4, people will gather again – this time at a beach near Lisbon for an aerial art action to protest planned oil exploration off the beautiful coast of Aljezur. The Fossil Free movement in Portugal has successfully stopped 10 of 15 oil and gas exploration contracts over the past few years. You can read about how action has been escalating over the spring and summer, with creative citizen-led tactics to reject fossil fuels and demand a 100% renewable future. And in September, just before the offshore project is set to begin, people will bring their message to the fore with marches to Rise for Climate in Lisbon and Porto. And help them by signing the global petition to stop the planned drilling. 
In this video, we share 5 ways to feel hopeful about climate. It’s all about getting involved by speaking up and acting with others. #RiseforClimate will take place on September 8, in the days before a global climate summit in San Francisco. Around the world, thousands more will join hundreds of events in 47 countries calling for a Fossil Free world. 
This week, I invite you to take action by telling your own story – why are you rising for climate? You can share your messages on social media and use the #RiseforClimate hashtag. Here’s mine: 
If you’re shy, that’s ok too. You can use the map to find an action near you on September and join, or host your own. Big or small, everyone and every community getting involved makes a difference. That’s it for this edition! Thanks for reading. If you’re looking for more ways to help, you can also donate to build a Fossil Free world: 
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