Frontline Voices: Renewable energy can guarantee us the future we want without sacrificing our health, environment or livelihood

An initiative dubbed  “Power Up” is bringing together grassroots groups across the globe in a global month of action to call for a renewable energy revolution. The over 200 actions, which kicked off on November 3rd,  have brought to the fore the communities’ demands for clean energy access to improve lives, and a shift away from destructive fossil fuel projects that threaten people's and nature's well-being. 

Communities are calling on governments to not only unleash funds for the energy transition, but also reclaim the excessive profits of fossil fuel companies such as TotalEnergies that continue to profit at the expense of the people and planet to redirect the finances to deploying renewable energy. This rang true for citizens in Uganda and Tanzania who want renewable power prioritized over destructive projects such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).

During Power Up actions led by 350.org, local groups in Uganda  lit up villages in Kijumba using solar while calling for an end to the controversial East African EACOP threatening their land and water. 

In Tanzania, citizens held meetings and marched, demanding people-powered solutions like community solar and microgrids. These demands align with a global push ahead of COP 28 to triple renewable energy capacity to limit global heating and facilitate the much-needed transition from fossil fuels harming vulnerable communities like theirs.

The message was clear - we need universal power access, but it must not come at the expense of our children's futures through an energy system built on exploitation like EACOP.

These mobilizations showcased the solutions-focused spirit that frontline communities have embodied. Local communities underscored the need to empower communities equitably and sustainably - instead of imposing unwanted harmful fossil fuel projects, such as EACOP, that only benefit the fossil fuel industry and the powerful.

Their voices carry weight at COP28, where communities at the frontline of the climate crisis seek commitment to phase out fossil fuels and a just transition to renewable energy. Real climate justice means listening to those vulnerable communities on the fringes in Tanzanians and Ugandans rallying for renewable power, not carbon-spewing pipelines like EACOP.

The choice before us is stark - either we achieve climate and energy justice rooted in meeting human needs, or we continue business as usual, undermining human rights, and biodiversity just so that polluters continue profiting. Frontline communities are showing the way by bravely resisting fossil fuel projects like EACOP, the rest of the world should take a cue.

At COP28, leaders must heed these voices. No force can stop an organized and determined people from safeguarding their future. A renewed global renewable energy vision will unlock just, prosperous societies and a liveable future. By standing with frontline communities, we all rise higher.