Just in from avaaz....GREAT NEWS Dear Avaazers, Lately, were not just winning, were winning BIG. These are not small time victories, but the biggest stuff, the save the world stuff - on climate change, Monsanto, our oceans, the internet, democracy, and more! Theres a lot thats depressing in the world today, but scroll down and see what our future could look like if we just stick together... After the March -- Real Progress on Climate Change!! From Europe, the US, and China! One of our 2,600 climate marches! We desperately needed Europe to kick off a global round of ambitious climate commitments at a recent summit in Brussels, so I felt deflated when I was told by insiders there was no way the EU would stand up to big oil and coal to cut carbon emissions by at least 40% by 2030. But we didnt back down, and they did it! Heres how we got from no way to a big win: Drove the largest climate mobilisation in history with 675,000 people in the streets in 162 countries! Got the UN Secretary General, 18 cabinet ministers, and countless politicians to join the march. Delivered a 2.2 million strong petition calling for 100% clean energy to world leaders including French President Hollande. Held advocacy meetings with the climate and energy ministers of France, Germany, Brazil and the UK. Lobbied Poland, a key blocker on climate action, with an ad campaign that got news coverage throughout Poland and phone calls from Polish Avaazers. Commissioned opinion polls in Germany, France, Poland and the UK right before the decision. 30,000 marchers in Melbourne! The climate march was a game changer, cited by president after president in their UN summit speeches. While hundreds of organisations contributed to the march and the win in Europe, our role was crucial. The BBC said: The marches brought more people on to the streets than ever before, partly thanks to the organizational power of the e-campaign group Avaaz. And Germanys Environment minister said: I would like to thank the millions of people who have joined Avaaz...Without public support it will be impossible to stop climate change. US President Obama also responded to the climate march, saying: Our citizens keep marching. We cannot pretend we do not hear them. Following the momentum building win in Europe, Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week - Obama promised reasonable-sized cuts in emissions, and China promised cuts as well, for the first time ever! The momentum we desperately needed has begun... After big oil and coal, whats the next worst soulless corporate lobby? Yep, Monsanto. And thats the next big victory that our community has helped win. Monsantos mega-plant blocked!! Protesting Monsantos seed factory. When Monsanto tried to extend its grip over the global food chain with a massive new seed factory in Argentina, Avaaz members stood side by side with a local movement and stopped Latin Americas largest GM seed plant from being built this year. Monsanto is a $60 billion mega-corporation that plays dirty. Heres how we helped stop them: Launched a 1 million strong petition and flooded the inboxes of decision makers with thousands of messages. Worked with top lawyers on a briefing that showed Monsantos Environmental Assessment was illegal, making a splash in the media. Released a poll showing that 2/3rds of town residents opposed the plant. Supported local residents to build their power and a winning strategy. Local grassroots leader Celina Molina said: After more than a million Avaaz members stood with the people of Malvinas Argentinas, we won an important battle in the fight against Monsanto! From gaining access to documents previously denied to us by the authorities to running a game changing opinion poll, Avaaz was important for preventing the largest transgenic seed plant from being built in our backyard.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 13:54:56 +0000