Movements Put G20 Governments And Central Banks On Notice: 'We Need A Truly Just Recovery'
Civil society organizations and grassroots movements from across the globe sent a strong message to G20 governments and central banks, demanding a Just Recovery from both Covid-19 and the climate crisis. Actions included banner drops, projections and blockades of public buildings, as well as a series of online actions.
The European Council and the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Banks Governors have been in meetings during the three days to discuss measures to tackle the economic recession caused by the pandemic. World leaders are being urged to use the trillions of dollars of public money on the table to enact truly healthy, sustainable and equitable recovery plans.
New research by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and partners confirms that G20 countries have already handed over or earmarked over 150 billion USD for fossil fuel corporations and other polluting industries.
Actions organized this week include:
· Banner drops in Bangladesh, including in the coast of Cox’s Bazar, recently hit by cyclone Amphan, and in the UNESCO heritage site of the Sundarbans mangrove forest.
· Banner drops in several South African cities and the release of the 34-page “No going back to normal: Imagining a Just Recovery in South Africa” report
· A pixelstick projection in Manila, Philippines; and a projection in Porto Alegre, Brazil calling to end coal funding and the project of Mina Guaíba, the largest open pit coal mine in Latin America.
· Youth activists projected Just Recovery demands on the UK Treasury and Bank of England buildings in London, UK, here’s a b-roll of the action.
· In Frankfurt, Germany, access to the European Central Bank was blocked by activists protesting against the funding of fossil fuels
· A Twitterstorm and a global petition, targeting Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.
· An open letter signed by the heads of prominent civil society organisations, including 350.org, Action Aid, CAN International, Greenpeace International, Oxfam International, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and JubileeDebt.
These events are the beginning of a longer-term campaign for a Just Recovery from the covid-19 pandemic to put us on the path of transforming our energy systems and addressing the climate crisis equitably.