Tomorrow belongs to us

Tonight ...

The Dáil debates a Bill to divest taxpayers' money from fossil fuel companies, one of our top demands as part of Stop Climate Chaos.

And it hangs in the balance. We know all the smaller parties will support the Bill. The Government is likely to oppose it. Fianna Fáil are key and have been considering their position all week.

Supporters have been emailing TDs. But what would make the most difference now is a phone call. I called one of my TDs yesterday and it took less that 3 minutes.

Call the Dáil switch 01-6183000 and ask to be put through to the office of any of your local TDs. Here's a list of TDs by constituency. Then just tell the assistant who answers you're a constituent and you're ringing cos you really want them to support the Divestment Bill today. There's more info at the Trócaire e-action.

I managed to squeeze a reference to the Bill into my 20 seconds on the Nine O'Clock News last night, commenting on 2016 being the hottest year on record.

Every call can help tip the balance. FF and FG are the priority. A vote to divest would be a powerful symbol that Ireland finally means business on climate action.

Tomorrow ...

We're showing the French-made, mostly English language film Demain.

It's the story of citizens doing it for themselves. It's a story of hope and fellowship. It's inspiring and positive and tickets are selling fast.

It'd be great if you can join us but I know the vast majority of our supporters do not live in Dublin. The good news is that you can now organize your own local screening, thanks to the work of the Transition Town Network in the UK, who have also produced a great booklet called "Making the Most of Tomorrow". We are happy to help you connect if you are interested.

The Day After Tomorrow ...

There's no point pretending. We're in the fight of our lives.

I guess we shouldn't have been surprised. With the evidence of climate change now so clear, the fossil fuel industry is desperate. The new administration in the US is their last gasp.

But they are swimming against the tide of history. Coal is not coming back - gas is too cheap. And now solar is cheap too. More than half the new power on the US grid last year was renewable. Just this week China cancelled plans for 104 new coal plants. And in Germany over half the renewable energy on the grid is owned by households and communities, not big business.

The future is a community-centred, fossil-free energy system that leaves no one behind.

My favourite US writer on climate action, David Roberts, put it this way:

When we ask for hope, then, I think we’re just asking for fellowship. The weight of climate change, like any weight, is easier to bear with others. And if there’s anything I’ve learned in these last 10 years, it’s that there are many, many others. They are out there, men and women of extraordinary imagination, courage, and perseverance, pouring themselves into this fight for a better future.

Tomorrow belongs to us.

In hope and fellowship,

Oisin, for the Friends of the Earth team.

P.S. Your support makes our campaigning possible. Anything you give in the next 48 hours will be split 50/50 between our campaign for a fossil free future and the project for solar power for a hospital in Tanzania with our partners, Solar Without Frontiers. Love Trumps Hate. Thank you.