As COP25 is drawing to a close, the importance of the Amazon in the global fight against climate change and to the indigenous communities that are leading the fight to protect the rainforest has never been so clear. At the same time, the huge deforestation in and destruction of the Amazon not only endanger the ecosystem and nature, but especially the lives and cultures of the communities protecting it.

REN21’s Executive Secretary Rana Adib talks about the role of cities in the transition to a low carbon future powered by renewable energy. — Cities are contributing to almost 75% of global CO2 emissions and are consuming two-thirds of the energy demand worldwide. They are also economic hubs as more than 80% of global gross domestic product (GDP) is created in cities. This information alone demonstrates that cities have a unique role to play…

COP25 is in full speed in Madrid. We met with the Director of Bellona Europa, Jonas Helseth to talk about solutions. — Jonas Helseth is the Director of Bellona Europa, an environmental NGO that works with the scientific community, companies, public authorities and civil society to advance the solutions which show the greatest potential to transition to zero emissions across the economy. One of its main goals is to put Carbon Capture…

Activists from civil society, especially women from indigenous communities and women from the Global South, have reported cases of direct violence from security after their protest yesterday inside the COP25 venue in Madrid. “Yesterday was violent. But our actions of disruption here at COP25 are nothing in comparison to the…

Fifty kilometers from the original UN Climate Conference venue in Santiago, Chile, a run-of-river hydro project is being constructed on the Maipo River, which provides water to seven million people. In the name of “clean energy,” the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project is blasting tunnels through the Andes, creating fissures in…

Following Greta Thunberg example, activists from all across the world have been protesting with unwavering determination for about a year, raising awareness for the climate emergency in their country. — “We are privileged, and our stories have been told many times over and over again. It is not our stories that need to be told and listened to. It is the others, especially from the Global South and Indigenous communities who need to tell their stories,” explains Greta Thunberg at…

The empowerment of women globally ensures more than just better lives for women themselves. The Founder and CEO of Solar Sister, Katherine Lucey, tells the stories of women bringing change to their families, communities and in turn, the world. — Listen to the full interview with Katherine Lucey on The Beam Podcast, Episode 3: Women at the Forefront of Climate Action. No doubt, many of us take energy access and the ability to cook for ourselves, friends and family members without the use of kerosene for granted. Yet, still many people around the globe live in off-grid communities depending on health-harming and life-threatening kerosene, instead of clean and reliable solutions. How…

While UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was speaking at the Global Climate Action High-Level event in Madrid, saying “we need more ambition, more solidarity and more urgency”, about 300 civil society representatives from indigenous groups and environmental NGOs were being kicked out of the COP25 venue. A few minutes earlier…

ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron and 43 others can be held legally accountable in the Philippines for violating human rights and causing climate change — In a landmark victory for climate justice, the Philippines’ Commission on Human Rights announced its findings from a nearly three-year investigation into whether 47 of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies could be held accountable for violating the rights of its citizens, in relation to the damage caused by global…