Global Climate Strike

2024 has been confirmed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) to be the warmest year on record globally, and the first full calendar year during which the Earth breached the 1.5°C global warming threshold set by world leaders under the Paris Agreement at COP21. This alarming milestone underscores the urgency of addressing the climate crisis, and is a clarion call to reinforce our hope, and renew our commitment to collective climate goals. Every fraction of a degree matters, and we must act decisively to curb the worst impacts of climate change.

Across the globe, alongside record-breaking temperatures, climate disasters have wreaked havoc – the wildfires in Los Angeles are a stark reminder of the devastation that climate impacts bring. Millions of lives have been disrupted by climate-linked school closures, loss of livelihoods, injuries, and deaths. From devastating floods and extreme heat waves to prolonged droughts and rising sea levels, the impacts of breaching the 1.5°C threshold are devastating. 

 

We need to be clear-eyed and honest: the situation we’re in is dire, but not irrevocable. What may feel like the end of the road may be our way out if we put all our hands together to urgently phase out fossil fuels and transition to community-led renewable energy. Here at 350.org we choose optimism: amidst all the bad news, there is so much energy, drive and hope. Across the globe we are seeing people coming together, rejecting the status quo and working to build a sustainable and equitable future. 

We are at a crossroads indeed, where we can either give up in the face of these impacts, or double-down on our efforts to build a better world. We have no doubts about which path we want to take – in 2025 we will re-energize our network of community changemakers, and revive our movement with training, meaningful and impactful campaigns and advocacy work that puts power where it belongs: in the hands of communities, who put people and planet before profit.

 

We’ll accelerate the take-up of Renewable Energy that is by and for the people.

Many climate-affected communities have demonstrated how rejecting fossil fuels and embracing renewable energy can improve resilience and quality of life. Community-led renewable energy offers a powerful model for organizing and creating a sustainable future. These projects provide not just energy but empowerment, giving people and communities the tools to thrive in an environment of worsening climate impacts: they provide safety, income and opportunities for a better life, with energy, economic and social justice. .

Policymakers must take inspiration from communities leading the charge and harness the potential of renewable energy that is built by and for the people. At 350.org, we are spearheading a new community renewables movement, to build our own power. In 2025, we are preparing to scale up our network of community leaders fighting for the renewables revolution:

• We  will host “Renew Our Power”, a training to 275+ activists from 70 different countries to help sprout and scale up community-led renewable projects across the world
• We will connect and equip communities that are reclaiming their power by producing renewable energy with our multilingual Our Own Power Global Network
• We will fight for a people-centered transition to renewable energy, from the Amazon to Africa and beyond

 

We’ll hold decision-makers and polluters accountable

While most of us suffer with the consequences of a world 1.5C hotter, the world’s richest 1% have used up their share of the global carbon budget for the year in just 10 days. It’s clear who needs to pay for the damage already caused and to limit heating as much as we can.

At the same time, countries – especially the rich ones – have homework to deliver. It is critical that governments ensure their climate plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), are ambitious and concrete. These plans, due this February, must prioritize the phase-out of fossil fuels and a fair transition to renewable energy. And for this transition to be truly just, the voices of the most impacted communities must be at the heart of climate policy and decision-making. If they fail to act, we will continue to breach critical temperature limits with catastrophic consequences, especially for the world’s most vulnerable populations. 

At 350.org, we are a megaphone for our movement, ensuring our voices are heard loud and clear in the corridors of power. For years, we’ve been disrupting and influencing shareholder assemblies for big banks and corporations and international  multilateral conferences such as G9 and UN Climate Summits, to demand that people – not profit –  are at the forefront of policies and agreements. This year will be no different:

• We will double-down our pressure to Tax Their Billions and make billionaires pay for the urgent shift to renewable, affordable energy for all 
• We will demand countries take their chance to overturn the climate crisis and deliver bold national climate action plans
• We will organize a global mobilization to close the gap between political hot air and reality and ensure world leaders feel the pressure for climate action gearing up to COP30 in Brazil

The breach of the 1.5°C threshold should not be seen merely as a warning—it is also a (another!) resounding call to action. Governments, banks and companies must commit to phasing out fossil fuels, prioritizing renewable energy, and centering the voices and ownership of vulnerable communities. Every fraction of a degree matters. And how we prevent it does too.

Now is the time to act. Now is the time for hope. Together, we can limit global warming, protect our planet, and create a sustainable and equitable future for all. Join us!

The post Ferocious Optimism: Holding on to Hope in an Apocalyptic World appeared first on 350.