I am returning to work after a four-month hiatus, a particularly joyous one as I gave birth to my first child in late February, and celebrated my first Mother’s Day! My partner and I have been cocooned in that early glow of parenthood.

I can’t help but consider all the very serious concerns that so many people have expressed about bringing children into a world so drastically threatened with climate disaster, economic inequality, and human rights struggles all over the world. But, much like the “birth” of 350.org 11 or so years ago, we chose hope, optimism, determination and fervent belief that the collective power of informed and organized people can and will transform this world into what it must become. I have been so fortunate to work with so many youth leaders, from Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Louisa Neubauer, Xiye Bastida and so many others, who prove that young people have the power to move our work light years forward.

Want proof? As I write this note, we have learned that a court case filed by eight teenagers in Australia, was won as the federal court found that the government has a duty of care to protect children from the climate crisis. This is a powerful victory!

As I take to my desk again, with baby nearby, above all I thank you – our donors and partners – for making the vehicle of 350.org possible, as we join forces along all age groups and constituencies to work for a Just Recovery and a Just Transition.

Warmly,

May

P.S. Reminder that we have a new mailing address: 350.org, PO Box 843004, Boston, MA 02284-3004. If you have any questions, or want to reach out, you can always email donations@350.org!

Good news first: A historic court ruling against Shell!

Photo: 350

On May 26th a Dutch District Court ruled that oil giant Shell is driving dangerous climate change and must make immediate and radical changes to the way it operates, in a huge win for people power and civil society organisations in the Netherlands. This decision sends a strong message to fossil fuel companies, banks and pension funds all over the world that their greenwash and lies will not prevent them being held accountable for the climate crisis.

In what Bill McKibben described as an “utterly crushing day for Big Oil” – this decision came on the same day as the news that Chevron investors demanded emission cuts and Exxon shareholders elected two new board members demanding climate action.

Since then, we’ve also learned that the Keystone XL pipeline project has officially been terminated. The fight against the KXL pipeline is a decade-long fight led by Indigenous activists with the support of climate advocates, and its termination sets a powerful precedent for the end of all fossil fuel projects.

Other great news: the International Energy Agency released the “Net Zero by 2050” report. What does this mean?

Photo: International Energy Agency

The report emphasized key messages that the climate movement has been pushing for years – we have to get off fossil fuels NOW and leapfrog development across the globe towards a renewable energy powered future. 350.org’s Kim Bryan explains its key points, why it’s significant, where they need to push further, and what next steps we need to take.

The fight continues around the world: Activists in Bangladesh and Turkey push back against coal

Photo: 350 Türkiye

Residents of the İkizköy village in Turkey are standing up to protect the Akbelen Forest from coal mining expansion, and activists in Bangladesh are fighting to stop the Rampal coal plant and save the Sundarbans forest. Actions are speaking louder than words around the world; as the 350 Turkey team said, “It is after all one thing to say quitting coal would be really nice, and it is another thing to demand it.”

The fight continues at home too: In order to face health and climate crises, we must break down the silos of “Asian-Americanness”

Photo: Thanu Yakupitiyage

The month of May was Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month in the United States. With the world in multiple crises, generating global understanding and solidarity is more important than ever. 350.org staff break down why this is so urgent.

Reminder: None of the work we are working on now is possible without vaccine justice for all

Photo: art work by Paperhands

350.org believes that a Just Recovery from COVID-19 means putting people’s health first, no exceptions. As with the global climate crisis, we recognize that the world’s most vulnerable and poorest people are impacted the most, and need to be prioritised. In order for this to happen we need to take a stance against vaccine nationalism and the vaccine’s current profit model, publicly pushing for a global approach to solving a global issue.