Where you live should not determine if you live.
Yet, whether it’s climate change, poverty, or global pandemics, the worst crises discriminate the most.
Poverty disproportionately affects women, the COVID-19 pandemic hit poor countries the hardest, and the people who have contributed the least to climate change are being impacted the most by it.
We live in an unequal world, where power and influence are not distributed equally either. But the power of the people should never be underestimated. If enough of us use our voices to make demands from those in power, it becomes a global clamor that cannot be ignored.
That’s how change happens.
But it can be hard to know what to ask our leaders for beyond, “do better.” So as part of our Power Our Planet campaign, we’ve done the hard graft of finding out where systemic change can actually happen, and put together a list of actions you can take that will have a real impact if enough of us do them. So sign your name, send your letters, and share with your friends.
1. Urge President Macron to Lead by Example
On June 22-23, leaders from around the world will be meeting in Paris for the New Global Financial Pact Summit, chaired by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.
The summit could be a pivotal moment for global financial reform and therefore everyone's future, but only if leaders agree to back the action needed.
As the convenor of this Summit, President Macron can set a powerful example with strong commitments from France that will ensure others follow suit. Send him a tweet to remind him of that.
2. Call on Rishi Sunak to Power Our Planet
While President Macron has organized the Summit, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak doesn't yet have plans to attend.
The UK wants to be seen as a global climate leader — including hosting the UN climate conference COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 — but the reality is that Britain’s climate leadership has been insufficient. Call on Sunak to do better and attend the New Global Financial Pact Summit.
3. Ask Lula to Attend the Paris Summit
Brazilian President Lula da Silva has pledged to be a climate leader both within his country and on the world stage — and he’s already doing great things.
We need someone like Lula at the New Global Financial Pact Summit to inspire other countries to take action on climate. Tweet him now.
4. Tweet Secretary Yellen About Reforms to the World Bank
Janet Yellen is the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. She has the power to push through some reforms the World Bank is absolutely crying out for. Reforms that could help millions of people.
We need her in the room at the New Global Financial Pact Summit. Send her a tweet now urging the US to attend.
5. Wally Adeyemo: Champion a Fairer World
Wally Adeyemo is the US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. He’s basically the Treasury Department's number two.
In 2021, in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the US government, along with other rich nations, received international funding in the form of Special Drawing Rights (wrap your head around those) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Given that low-income countries missed out on this funding (because of an IMF quirk), the US pledged 20% of this international funding to poorer and climate-vulnerable nations.
Except they never delivered.
A pledge is no good if the money never gets delivered. Tweet the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury to free the funds.
6. Tell Prime Minister Albanese to Stand Up for Climate Justice
Rising seas are on the verge of swallowing two of the Tuvalu archipelago’s nine islands.
Just 5,067 km away, their neighbor Australia continues to burn coal, despite a report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warning that global warming must be kept to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius over the next 12 years to avoid catastrophic climate effects. And we know that continuing to burn fossil fuels isn't going to solve that problem.
We need Australia to show up to the New Global Financial Pact Summit and be ready to contribute its fair share in global climate finance. Call on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to head to Paris with bold ideas to support the Pacific and our planet.
7. Email World Leaders to Fund a Fairer Future
Global financial reform. Doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? But it’s radical and has the potential to be truly transformative.
Send an email to world leaders telling them why it matters. Don’t worry we’ve done the hard work of spelling out what their to-do list should be for you.
8. President Biden: Don't Break Your Climate Promise
In 2021, US President Joe Biden promised $11 billion in climate support for developing countries affected by the climate crisis.
But come the end 2022, Congress proposed just $1 billion, a figure that falls significantly short of Biden’s original promise.
Time is running out and we can't let the US abandon global climate action – urge the Biden Administration to push Congress to deliver on their original promise: send an email.