Road Through Paris Action Page

Two months after the Paris Climate Summit, we’re entering the most critical part of the Road through Paris — the part where we, the people, step things up another notch and make sure the promises to prevent catastrophic climate change are kept, and strengthened.

In Paris, world governments agreed to global action — but without a clear commitment on how and when they will transition off of fossil fuels. The way to make that transition a reality is by organizing to keep coal, oil and gas in the ground and accelerate the just transition to 100% renewable energy.
That’s why we’re planning in May to “Break Free from Fossil Fuels” with a series of major actions targeting big fossil fuel projects in strategic locations around the world. In the Pacific Northwest, we’re taking on fossil fuel exports and oil-by-rail like never before!

Visit the main website for the Pacific Northwest Break Free Action!

We have enormous potential to keep fossil fuels in the ground — both physically and by dramatically accelerating the erosion of the fossil fuel industry’s social license.

Can you help us make it all happen by joining with Portland friends for the NW Break Free Action or chipping in to support our work?

The Paris Climate Agreement is insufficient to the task of tackling the climate crisis on the scale we need. But the agreement that was forged in Paris is a valuable piece of leverage for the climate movement. It’s a tool, and if we use it right it could be game-changing.

For the first time, world governments have collectively set a target that requires the world to get off of fossil fuels. There’s no way we can meet the target set in Paris without keeping fossil fuels in the ground. World governments don’t have a clear plan to get us there, but they’ve committed to heading in that direction.

Now it’s up to us to close the gap between rhetoric and reality. And that’s exactly what we intend to do. Will you join us?

We knew going into the big UN summit, that it’d be people that would make the difference in the end. We knew that perhaps the most powerful thing an agreement in Paris could accomplish would be to give the climate movement a springboard to pivot to bigger, bolder asks.

We’ve got our springboard. Let’s make the most of it.

Road Through Paris Blog

The Road Through Paris – Update Dec 15th

December 15, 2015/in Announcements, News /by Guest Author

Thank you to everyone who contributed to 350’s work before, during and after the Paris summit. Together, as a global community, we aimed high, and what we accomplished is huge.

Click here to watch and share videos from the “Road Through Paris,” including 350.org’s take on the agreement itself:

Our “Road Through Paris” plan aimed to build movement power and accelerate the transition from fossil fuels starting in August — and the amount we’ve been able to accomplish together since then is astonishing.

Marching in Honor of Life

December 14, 2015/in Climate Heroes, News /by Chris Palmer

Dec12-Climate-March-35 For a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon, there was a healthy and happy turnout at the Portland march for climate justice at Tilikum Crossing. Roughly 500 people of all ages and backgrounds showed up to participate in the day’s activities, and to support the efforts of the Paris climate talks to make a significant impact on climate change. Activities included open participation in an umbrella flash mob, bucket drumming, singing and Read more

A Climate March as Meme-worthy

December 14, 2015/in Climate Heroes, News /by Guest Author

Dec12-Climate-March-27 It’s December 12th: Inhospitable weather today for a march and rally, I wondered how many people would show up. I got off the #4 bus at Division and SE 8th Avenue and was surprised by a couple of friendly people deboarding the bus after me. “Are you going to the climate march?” one asked me brightly, before two more joined us, all of us wrapped tight in our raincoats and hoods. We had to cross Read more

Backstage at 350PDX — How does a climate march happen?

December 14, 2015/in Climate Heroes, News /by Guest Author

It’s October.

Representatives of 196 nations will be meeting in Paris next month to forge an agreement reducing world-wide carbon emissions. Climate groups strategize about opportunities to hear grassroots voices of local people. Perhaps a rally and march December 12, the day after the conference is scheduled to conclude. Perhaps there should be a campaign leading up to that march. What should the campaign be called? Road to Paris? Read more

Rain or Shine: A Wet Cat’s Perspective of the Portland Climate March

December 14, 2015/in Climate Heroes, News /by Chris Palmer

I’m going to be honest. When I’m exposed to rain water, my emotions can become that of a wet cat: inordinately displeased and uncomfortable. Needless to say, when I was headed to the Portland Opera House for the Climate March I was less than amused about the weather. Don’t get me wrong, I know that Read more

Portland Pilgrimage For Climate Justice

December 9, 2015/in Climate Heroes, News /by Chris Palmer

Today over 200 people representing at least 22 congregations of the Jewish, Christian, and Buddhist faith traditions walked two miles through NW and Downtown Portland in an interfaith pilgrimage to call for a just treaty as climate negotiations continue at the COP 21 meeting in Paris, France.

We began at Havurah Shalom, Reconstructionist Jewish Community, by singing “Don’t Let the Light Go Out” and prayer led by Rabbi Joey. Meg Ruby and Peter Sergienko from St. Michael & All Angel’s Episcopal Church read a prayer for our local and national leaders and the negotiators at Paris to act for climate justice. Michael Midghall presented the Pilgrimage with a book of statements by the leaders of the world’s religions calling for climate justice. Read more

Last Week of COP21

December 7, 2015/in News, Uncategorized /by Chris Palmer

We are officially in the home stretch of global climate talks. The final ‘draft’ text has been approved by negotiators and handed to environment ministers to be decided in the next week.

The draft text has some promising, and some very worrying parts. Here are the biggest issues 350.org sees about what’s currently on the table:

The date for phasing out fossil fuels keeps being pushed back. Keeping warming to safe levels requires phasing out fossil fuels and moving to 100% renewable energy by 2050, a date which many countries have already agreed is feasible. But the earliest mentioned date in the draft text is “2060-2080,” and other proposals calling for a transition ‘over the course of the century.’ We don’t have another lifetime to wait for real action, and we will push for serious reductions in fossil fuel consumption and production on the fastest timeframe possible.
Indigenous Rights have been removed from the text. Indigenous people are on the front lines of battles to keep fossil fuels in the ground over the globe, and respecting their rights is essential to a just transition to the energy economy we need. Our Indigenous allies are working on the strategy to re-include this section into the text and we will fight with them.
The path to increasing ambition after Paris is unclear. A critical part of any agreement will be establishing regular meetings to check in on progress of enforcing the deal and increasing the ambition to match with new developments. The means by which this will happen is still quite uncertain, and understanding that will be essential to whether the deal sends a real signal that the world is getting off fossil fuels.

With fossil fuel lobbyists, powerful governments and other people at the hands of big polluters pushing for a weak deal — it’s more important than ever that we make our demands clear. The solutions are obvious: we need to keep at least 80% of fossil fuels in the ground, finance a just transition to 100% renewable energy, and make sure communities on the front lines of climate change have the resources they need to respond to the crisis.

Can you help us tell governments what the solutions are? Click here to share on Twitter:

Big fights are coming this week to cap warming at 1.5C. Here are a few articles that sum-up where we’re at and what’s to come:

With 1.5 Degrees Celsius Target, Climate Justice Movement Poised to Score Surprise Win – The Nation
At U.N. climate talks, top officials turn up heat for final week – Reuters
Climate Change Conference: Halftime Assessment of COP21 – Decoded Science
#COP21 deal: Indigenous peoples fear rights might be dropped – Rappler.
Also see video from the Indigenous Environmental Network here: youtube.com/watch?v=2ya4yrA0aFo&
Proposal to achieve zero emissions growth by 2060-80 – The Hindu

** re-posted from Duncan Meisel, 350.org

Re-cap Paris Climate Talks Day 1

December 1, 2015/in News, Uncategorized /by Chris Palmer

Yesterday was Day 1 of the Council of Parties (COP) 21 UN climate talks in Paris. It was the ‘Heads of State’ session, so it was a lot of speeches from a lot of politicians and designed to give a strong mandate for the talks through December 11th.

350.org delivered a petition calling for 100% renewable energy by 2050 and keeping at least 80% of fossil fuels under ground, alongside Avaaz, to Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak. The Marshall Islands is one of the countries with the most to lose from rising seas, and who then went to the floor of the talks where he said this:

The Road through Paris: Week of Action December 6-12th

November 18, 2015/in Announcements, News /by Chris Palmer

This December, as world leaders gather in Paris to discuss the fate of planet earth, grassroots leaders are taking action and showing that solutions will come from the ground up.

Why (we as) climate activists stand with refugees

November 17, 2015/in Editorial, Uncategorized /by Chris Palmer

“A culture that places so little value on human beings, that it allows them to be thrown to the waves, is also going to allow poor people’s countries to disappear beneath the waves because that is a threat to today’s profits.”
— Naomi Klein

Hundreds of thousands of people are making their way to Europe these weeks, fleeing from violence, often being met by violence again upon crossing our borders; sometimes – increasingly – met with love and compassion (as well as the occasional bottle of water, toy, or blanket).

You have probably heard the story: climate change, unchecked, drives extreme weather events and resource scarcity, exacerbating conflict and socio-economic dynamics. Case in point: Syria. While the causes of the Syrian conflict are primarily political, some recent research suggests that a prolonged drought just before the 2011 uprising may have played a role in the ongoing civil war (although this should be seen as only one contributing factor). Read more

Momentum Workshop A Success!

October 18, 2015/in Announcements, News /by Chris Palmer

The difference in temperature between now and the last ice age is only five degrees. We are on track to have a four degree warmer world by the end of this century, according to a new report. This past Saturday, 350PDX hosted a workshop for Portlanders to discuss what we can do about this climate crisis. Contact us if you’d like to pitch-in. Read more

Momentum Workshop & Paris Planning Meeting This Saturday!

October 14, 2015/in Announcements, Uncategorized /by Chris Palmer

This Saturday, October 17th from 3-5pm in Fuller Hall at First Unitarian Church in Downtown Portland.

2015 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history. Yet momentum is growing to stop this climate change crisis. Political and religious leaders are beginning to get the message—that people like you have been voicing for years.

We’ve had some big wins in the last year – including stopping a fracked propane terminal in Portland, arctic drilling and future city investments in fossil fuels. Now, we’re getting started on a campaign that would stop all new major fossil fuel terminals in Portland.