Tomorrow, the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth US will be hosting a Global Grassroots Leaders Climate Summit to virtually bring together activists from around the
world. This summit will feature grassroots leaders representing 30 organizations from 17 countries who will discuss climate and energy access issues in their communities and their demands for the Biden aAdministration and its institutions.
With our international partners, we determined there was a strong need to convene this summit following President Biden’s Earth Day Climate Summit in April, where 40 world leaders were convened for a virtual discussion of global strategies to combat the climate crisis.
The Biden World Leaders' Climate Summit was an important moment, but didn't provide for much dialogue between grassroots leaders and decision-makers. Through our Global Grassroots Leaders Summit, we're seeking to bring attention back to grassroots leaders who have been leading the way and whose localized issues need action and accountability, particularly from
US agencies and the US government.
The US provides billions of dollars annually to fossil fuel projects overseas. In 2020, the US Export-Import Bankand the US International Development Finance Corporation together provided close to $7 billion for fossil fuel projects in Argentina, Mexico, and Mozambique, among other places. These institutions continue to consider supporting fossil fuel projects that will have few benefits for local communities and create few US jobs -- projects such as gas development in Bahrain and LNG terminals in Vietnam. In response to President Biden’s executive order requiring these agencies to end their support for “carbon-intensive” energy, nearly 450 groups from around the world sent a letter to the administration providing recommendations on the scope and timing of these agencies ending these investments.
Too often, grassroots leaders are left out of the climate conversation and do not have a seat at the table; the goal of this summit
is to bring attention to the voices and asks of the global grassroots leaders who were not present during the April 22 Climate Summit.
The summit will kick off on Wednesday, June 2, with webinars on the Sierra Club’s Facebook and YouTube pages to welcome the grassroots leaders, followed by webinars on US fossil fuel finance overseas, renewable energy finance, and a just global transition away from coal. On Thursday, June 3, grassroots leaders will be meeting with the Senior Advisor to the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, as well as leaders from the US International Development Finance Corporation. Finally, on Friday, June 4, grassroots leaders will meet with staff at the US Department of the Treasury and the US Export-Import Bank.
By bringing the discussion of negative impacts and the failed promises of US-supported fossil fuel projects overseas, as well as the benefits of distributed renewables and just transitions to US leaders, we can effectively push for change on the global level.
This is the first such summit where the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth US are working to emphasize the importance of decision-makers engaging with, and listening to, the voices of grassroots leaders and climate activists from around the world. While not every country may be represented at this initial event, we look forward to hosting future summits, meetings, and accountability-focused dialogues to engage global grassroots leaders.
Join us tomorrow June 2 for the Global Grassroots Climate Leaders Summit!