The Reclaim Power initiative – where YFoEE is a partner – has issued a call for mobilizations and actions to demonstrate peoples’ demands for transformation of energy systems. This year’s days of action are following after the successful Reclaim Power global month of mobilisation in 2013, and the week of actions in 2014.
You can join by doing something as simple as tweeting or posting a picture on social media, or you can get together with other activists to organise an action or demonstration. If you cannot take action on the 9th or 10th of October, but can do something another day, that’s totally fine too! #ReclaimPower is meant as a vision and set of demands to bring our movements together, rather than a strict set of dates. To find out more information about #ReclaimPower, and what you can do to get involved, have a look at this action toolkit, or visit the Reclaim Power website.
If you will organise an action on Oct 9/10 or later, send us your stories (in photo, video and/or text) so we can spread them through YFoEE channels! Please send to Živile from the YFoEE communications team at zivile@zvejone.lt.
Why Reclaim Power?
Climate change is already wreaking havoc with the planet and with millions of people’s lives worldwide. Tackling the problem will require addressing its root causes, including dirty energy and inequality. Despite being the fastest growing contributor of climate change causing greenhouse gases, our current energy system leaves 1.3 billion people without electricity, and many more with barely enough. It is an energy system for elites, dependent on dirty and harmful sources like coal, gas, oil, nuclear, waste-incineration and mega-hydro. It is an energy system that benefits from huge public handouts and the support of development banks. It stands to benefit further from new undemocratic trade treaties. Ultimately, it is an energy system that we must fundamentally transform to put people and planet before profit.
On the 9th and 10th of October, grassroots movements across the world will join together as part of Reclaim Power, two days of action to transform our energy systems as part of the fight to stop even more dangerous climate impacts. With a global climate deal set to be agreed in Paris in December this year, the world’s attention will be focused on climate change. Unfortunately those who are benefiting from our current broken economic system and its addiction to dirty energy will make it very difficult for the Paris summit to deliver strong enough action.
That’s why it’s time to #ReclaimPower into our own hands. There’s been a surge of actions building up this year, from Global Divestment Day in February, to the Global Weekend of Actions in September. Let’s build on them to show we are ahead of politicians and support the move towards a just and 100% renewable future.
Join the Global Days of Action, to call loudly and clearly for:
- A ban on new dirty energy projects
- An end to government subsidies and public handouts to dirty energy
- Divestment from fossil fuel corporations
- Universal access to energy
- An end to excessive energy consumption by corporations and global elites
- A swift and just transition to public and community renewable energy systems
How can you get involved?
Every action, no matter how big or small makes a huge difference during #ReclaimPower on the two days of global action. So you can do something as simple as tweeting or posting a picture on social media, or you can get together with others to organise an action or demonstration. You can choose a local target (a company, municipality, government agency, university, bank), and take action on the global day through:
- Photo opportunities or stunts
- Social media – take a selfie or a picture with a #ReclaimPower hashtag, start a Twitter storm
- Protests, marches and demonstrations
- Sit-ins and occupations
- Public performances, such as die-ins or theatrical sketches
- Petitions or letter-writing
- Public events (film screenings, discussions)
- Educational tours – take people on a tour of your local financial centre
- Write a piece for your local newspaper, or publish a blog
Don’t forget to let us know about how you are taking action! You can upload photos here: just create a subfolder for your event/action and add a short description. Bonus points if you can upload your press release or statement. We will be highlighting your actions on our website.
Sample tweets
If you can’t do an action you can still support online via social media. Take to Twitter or Facebook to share your concerns about dirty and harmful energy. Just remember to use the hashtag #ReclaimPower so we can see who is participating, and can compile photos and stories in social media recaps. Here are some sample tweets you can use in combination with our shareable materials which you can find on our website and below.
In the run up to the October 9-10 Global Days of Action to Reclaim Power:
- Taking action to transform our energy systems! #ReclaimPower [insert image]
- Taking action for a fairer & cleaner energy for all! #ReclaimPower [insert image]
- Ban new dirty energy projects! #ReclaimPower
- Don’t be a fossil fool – #ReclaimPower from dirty/harmful energy and #Divest now
- I’m taking action to #ReclaimPower & demand democratic, clean energy for all. reclaimpower.net
For specific tweets that relate Reclaim Power to current events are also available here for:
- annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF Boards in Peru (9-10 Oct)
- TTIP (week of attantion and day of action througout Europe on the 10th)
- Rural Women Day and World Food Day (15th and 16th)
- 2nd anniversary of Super Typhoon Haiyan (November 8th)
- 20th anniversary of the murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa (November 10th)
More resources
We have put together a series of briefings on various dirty and harmful energy sources, such as coal, oil, fracked gas, and nuclear. We have also gathered background resources on public and community owned renewable energy systems, as well as on how to fund them. You can find them on our website www.reclaimpower.net.
We’ve prepared some graphic material for you to share on social media. You can find a few below in this document. Please check this public Google Drive folder for a full catalogue of sharable materials, or visit the website where we will regularly upload memes, posters, and other sharable materials for you to use.
More information on media work like a template for press relases can be found in the action toolkit.