We played a vital role in building a movement called “The Garden is Ours”. The movement aimed at protecting the city’s historical public garden from being turned into a privately sponsored theme park, made of plastic and concrete. We managed to mobilise thousands of citizens, receive backing by government departments and MPs, all through constant media attention. With our people power we advocated for a public consultation, transparency and compliance with the law through demonstrations, actions, meetings with stakeholders. Ultimately, we filed an appeal to the Court and although we could not yet stop the project as the corporate interests were given priority, we might win the case in 1-2 years.

The media plays a key role in shaping the narrative around climate change but in Finland, journalists have struggled to challenge the discourses put forward by big businesses and investors. We developed a journalist training concept to build the media’s capacity to critically examine private sector PR on climate action. The training consisted of webinars and a two-day workshop with Finnish and international experts where journalists gained tools to unpack greenwashing and discussed climate journalism’s responsibilities to the public. Following the training, there have been more articles on companies’ climate (in)action in Finnish media.

In October 2022, together with two other organisations (Oxfam France and Notre Affaire à Tous), we launched an unprecedented worldwide legal action against a bank for the risks caused by its financing of fossil fuels. This campaign, named “The BNP Case” targets the French bank BNP Paribas because it is the leading European financier of fossil fuel expansion. We therefore point to its responsibility in the climate crisis. The objective is to force BNP Paribas to stop its financial support for new fossil fuel projects, and that this obligation then applies to all financial actors. Citizens around the world can help us by supporting this unprecedented action by signing the petition available here: https://bnp-case.com.

Planning regulations often make it difficult and expensive for schools to install solar panels. To fix this, we mobilised schools and the public to put pressure on the government to change the planning regulations. We built up an appetite for solar energy among schools by running a competition for schools to win solar panels for their schools. We told inspiring stories about these winning schools and their solar journeys through film making, animation and more. We pushed the government to update planning regulations so that schools no longer need to apply for planning permission to install solar. The government also committed to provide funding to install solar panels on every school in the country!

In July 2022, the temperatures almost reached an all time high in Luxemburg, as they did in many other European regions. In the context of our campaign “Méi Gréngs an eise Stied an Diefer” (“For greener villages and cities”), we took infrared images in their capital comparing highly sealed streets and public places exposed to direct sunlight to walkways sheltered by tree avenues or public green spaces. The images show temperature differences of up to 25°C. The press coverage was great and on social media alone, we reached more than 45 000 people. A huge success in the Luxemburgish context.

Uċuħ Tar-Raba’ (Faces of the Field) showcased the portraits and stories of 10 Maltese Farmers to the general public. Through the photography of Darrin Zammit Lupi, a prominent photojournalist, the exhibition aimed to illustrate the importance of supporting local farmers. The interviews embarked on an exploration of the farmers’ genuine passion for agriculture which, in the face of several struggles, serves as the fuel that keeps them going. During a precarious moment for food security on our islands, their stories also helped investigate how European policies impact food production locally.

In early 2022, we sent a letter to 29 major polluters urging them to align their climate plans with the Paris Agreement and the verdict in our historic Climate Case against Shell. Over 40,000 citizens signed the letter, which was published in a leading Dutch financial daily under the title ‘This Letter Changes Everything’. All 29 companies submitted their plans, but they are shockingly inadequate, achieving no more than 19% CO2 reduction by 2030. We called on the government, along with 60,000 citizens, to halt climate funds for these companies. However, Pension Fund ABP and Albert Heijn, the Netherlands’ largest supermarket, published new plans in December 2022, committing to the 45% CO2 reduction objective by 2030. A huge success!

In 2022, we stopped Equinor from pumping up oil in the Arctic. Equinor’s plans were to put the Wisting oil field into operation in 2028 and then pump for at least 30 year – eight years after the world must have zero emissions. We have always pointed out the financial risk involved in developing an oil field very far north in a demanding area with no existing infrastructure nearby, and their plans received massive public criticism. In November, Equinor announced that it has postponed the investment decision until 2026. New oil fields in the Arctic are becoming increasingly less of a threat!

Over the past two years, we’ve come together with offshore oil and gas workers to help them develop demands for a just energy transition. These demands, finally published in 2022, lay out a comprehensive plan that would protect jobs and communities as well as the climate. They include removing barriers that make it harder for oil and gas workers to move into the renewable industry; ensuring safety, job security and fair pay across the energy industry; and sharing the benefits of our energy system fairly, with public investment in energy companies and communities. Oil and gas workers are ready to lead a just transition away from fossil fuels. Now we need to work with them to make it happen.

We drove the effort to establish Zeleni Hrastnik, an energy cooperative in a former mining region in Slovenia. We managed to include the municipality in an effort to gain credibility and resources for the cooperative. We facilitated a bottom-up process of establishing the cooperative, and we are one of its founders. Currently Zeleni Hrastnik is setting up the largest community solar plant in Slovenia. We are optimistic that Zeleni Hrastnik will spark a larger wave of energy cooperatives as many municipalities are already interested in following the example. Let’s bring power to the people.