December 2020: Paris Accord, By2020 story, activists video, and more

HELLO CHANGEMAKERS!!

As 2020 comes to an end, we too are wrapping up. We’ll be back again next year with more skillshares, stories, tools and updates from across the climate justice movement but we wanted to end this year with a special story of the coalition, an inspiring video and some useful updates.

5-YEAR PARIS ACCORD ANNIVERSARY

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris Accord — a historic moment in the movement to create meaningful political action on climate change.

Fiona Harvey’s piece, ‘The Paris Agreement Is 5 Years Old. Is It Strong Enough to Prevent Climate Catastrophe?’ reflects on the victories and failures of Paris, and why the journalist believes there is still hope for the agreement — and our planet.

And a great (Portuguese-language) story from our friends at Climaximo on the failures of governments to implement the accord, and the role of activists going forward.

#FightFor1Point5
?Brussels pic.twitter.com/xOcLsVYSM1

— Adélaïde Charlier (@adelaidecharli2) December 11, 2020

By2020WeRiseUp: GOODBYE TO GOOD TROUBLE

“Think of our movements as an ecosystem, over the last few years we have been blooming and growing throughout Europe. But what would happen if we all bloomed at the same time and in the same direction?”

As the By2020 coalition comes to a natural end and grows into something new, I reflect on all that they have accomplished and raise a toast to all the organisers, facilitators, and behind the scenes coordinators, who move movements.

READ THE STORY

If you’ve got a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things that you want us to amplify and show solidarity with, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by replying to us directly at [email protected] 

BY2020 CONFERENCE + GLASGOW AGREEMENT

As the year draws to a close, so does the By2020WeRiseUp platform. However, it’s important to stress that the end of the campaign will by no means mean the end of European coordination! At the final strategy conference last month, participants across Europe recommended exploring the potential of collaboration and planning through the new Glasgow Agreement platform. Read more in the executive summary here.

The Glasgow Agreement recently had their signing ceremony with more than 100 groups across the world committing to “reclaim the initiative from governments and international institutions by creating an alternative tool for action and a space for strategy and coordination for the climate justice movement.” Follow By2020s recommendation and learn more about the agreement here.

‘I AM A CLIMATE JUSTICE ACTIVIST’

Powerful interests are using our converging crises as a shield to dismantle our human rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and environmental regulations. But people power continues to fight back, highlighting the importance of solidarity in addressing these intersecting problems.

We’ve put together this video with activists within our network to show the power and determination it takes in these difficult circumstances to stand up together and say, ‘we are climate justice activists.

Watch the video, and please share if you find it inspiring!

FEATURED RESOURCE: BUILDING YOUR BASE

This month’s feature resource is ‘Building Your Base’. Let’s say you have your cause and you are ready to get started… but you can’t do it all alone. How do you cultivate a team, or supporters? The point is not to preach to the choir — instead make the choir the sort of place people want to join.

Read our guide on best practices to learn how you can draw more people to your movement by being patient and giving your activists ownership of the movement.

CAMPAIGN SURGERY

If you’re stuck on an issue while planning a campaign/action or would like to get feedback from experienced activists, use the form below to join our Campaign Surgery, where we give you access to the collective knowledge, links, and expertise of our broad network.

We’ll bring together experienced people in the field to draw on their wealth of knowledge and help answer any burning questions you might have.

That’s it for now but you can always check our website www.europeanchangemakers.org for stories, webinars and tools.

Karl

and the rest of the Changemakers team