Earth’s Raging Wildfires Seen from Space
Avaaz — The World in Action
NEW YORK (August 21, 2022) — This is not a drill.
Huge swathes of the planet are cooking in record-breaking heatwaves. Raging wildfires, some visible from space, have ripped through the EU and US. And, the worst drought in 40 years in Eastern Africa could push up to 20 MILLION people into severe hunger.
As the Earth scorches, time is running out to avert an unimaginable catastrophe for life on our planet. How we respond right now, will decide everything — our survival could be hanging in the balance!
We mustn’t give up hope — we have all the solutions we need. What’s missing is the political will, and the best way to change that is with unprecedented people power!
So over the coming months, Avaazers all over the planet will throw everything we have at turning this around — here’s how:
• In Europe, we’ll organize a massive campaign urging governments to replace Russian gas with renewable energy, slashing emissions AND revenues to the Kremlin’s war machine.
- We’llgo all out to secure a landmark global deal to tackle the extinction crisis at a historic global summit in Montreal, defending Indigenous rights and conserving HALF the Earth.
- And in Brazil’s upcoming election, which could decide the fate of the Amazon, our outstanding team willfuel a ground-breaking public engagement campaign to stand up to toxic lies and get people to the polls.
We Don’t Have Long
The devastating impacts we’re seeing on our ecosystems and livelihoods are happening with just 1°C rise in the planet’s average temperatures. We’re on track to hit 3.5°C warming by the end of the century — kids born today could grow up to witness a collapse of natural systems our civilisation depends on.
The threats are huge, but the next few months also have massive opportunities to meet them.
Europe is being rocked by an energy crisis that could supercharge fossil fuels, or spark a renewables revolution. Avaaz has a HUGE membership across Europe — and our climate team is already planning a massive push in EU capitals that will put the climate crisis at the centre of decision-making!
But we won’t stop there — after years of delay, governments will finally meet to seek a global deal for nature. Our advocacy team is preparing to flood the talks with our members’ voices from around the world, demanding bold action for the planet, and ensure Indigenous communities are represented so all their rights are defended.
Meanwhile, our team of campaigners in Brazil — where we have nearly 20 million members — is already rolling out an unprecedented election effort to ensure citizens have access to truthful information in a battle between political forces intent on destroying the rainforest and those vowing to protect it. The more we raise, the bigger we can scale this crucial push!
Avaaz has been at the forefront of efforts to protect our planet and secure action on the climate crisis since our founding 15 years ago. Over that time, the threats have grown, and so has the urgency. Let’s make sure our campaigns and impact grow too — while there is still time to act.
With hope and determination,
Bert, Marigona, Mike, Oscar, Diego, Pascal, Nax, Laura, Kaitlin, Camille, Adela and the whole Avaaz team
- Did you know that Avaaz relies entirely on small donations from members like you? That’s why we’re fully independent, nimble and effective. Join the over 1 million people who’ve donated to make Avaaz a real force for good in the world.
More information: Problems and Solutions
• UN chief warns that humanity faces ‘collective suicide’ over climate crisis (The New York Times)
- Amazon rainforest ‘will collapse if Bolsonaro remains president‘ (The Guardian)
- Could Russia’s war kick-start a renewable-energy revolution? It depends where in the world you look(CNN)
- Why protecting Indigenous communities can also help save the Earth(The Guardian)
- Montreal to host delayed COP 15 summit to halt global biodiversity loss (The Globe and Mail)
- The plan to turn half the world into a reserve for nature(BBC)
