Featured Stories – Climate Justice
Climate Justice – From the San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond
– The Bay Area is home to passionate networks of creative energy in the fights for Climate Justice. From community-building “Art Builds”, massive street murals and banners that span city blocks, to powerful indigenous women-led campaigns, rapidly growing youth led campaigns and “grandmothers” blockading city streets, many in the Bay Area have been tireless in taking on the industries that threaten our future and the huge networks and systems that support those industries.
These creative and passionate local networks are informally woven together with a vibrant global ecosystem of Climate Justice activism that has been growing relationships and cross-pollinating for decades. The stories from frontline communities in the East Bay refinery corridor are woven together with the Ponca experience in the Oklahoma oil fields and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Ecuador by the fossil fuel industry. The networks of solidarity keep growing as the stories expose common themes and challenges and identify the global nature of the threats to our health, the planet and future generations.
This weaving together of many unique groups and communities in a common climate justice related project, can be seen visually represented in the massive street mural projects organized by David Solnit together with hundreds of others since 2018. Covering huge city blocks, groups design and paint their unique visions into circles that are then “woven” together with an indigenous inspired basket pattern designed by Edward Willie and painted with paint created from clay gathered in the Sierra foothills. This whole massive process is a beautiful representation of how to create the world we want to live in, while simultaneously drawing attention to and challenging the institutions and systems that threaten all of our futures.
Climate Strike for Climate Justice
7am – September 25, 2019 – Indigenous women-led “Idle No More SF Bay” and allies, shut down 2 long city blocks of the San Francisco financial district and paved the way for a day of massive street painting and blockades of financial institutions financing the fossil fuel industry.
Climate Strike for Climate Justice
September 25, 2019 – Two long city blocks in the San Francisco financial district were shut down, and institutions financing the fossil fuel industry blockaded. Over the course of the day, huge interconnected murals emerged in the street depicting solutions to the climate crisis. This “Green New Deal!” mural was painted at the intersection of the two blocks and was designed by the incredible muralist Mona Caron.
Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)
November 15, 2016 – San Francisco. Standing with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota. Thousands gathered at dawn at San Francisco City Hall and prepared to march to the SF Army Corps of Engineers to increase pressure on them to not permit the laying of pipe under the Missouri River, a source of water for the tribe and millions of others.
Refinery Corridor Healing Walks – Carquinez Bridge
June 11, 2017 – The indigenous women-led group “Idle No More SF Bay”, led a total of 16 long walks through the East Bay’s refinery corridor over a period of 4 years. The walks were led in prayer, making numerous stops at refinery gates to talk about specific histories of the fossil fuel industry and the efforts needed and already underway to create a healthier path for future generations and the planet.
RISE Against Climate Capitalism – Sept 10, 2018
Organized by indigenous groups and frontline communities, hundreds gathered in San Francisco outside the site of the Governors’ Climate and Forest Task Force meeting leading up to the Global Climate Action Summit. From the organizers – “People of the world are being led astray by polluting industries and elected officials promoting climate capitalist systems like carbon trading and carbon tax shell games. These systems do nothing to stop the fossil fuel industry from continuing to cause climate disruption. They allow the fossil fuel industry to continue to harm Indigenous people and communities around the world from extraction to transport to refining.”
RISE – Protest the GCAS – Sept 13, 2018
Ninawa Huni Kui of Feijó, Acre, Brazil (on left). At the start of the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), many thousands gathered in San Francisco with a message to Gov Brown: STAND WITH COMMUNITIES, not corporation, climate profiteers and the fossil fuel industry.
RISE Against Climate Capitalism – Sept 10, 2018
Casey Camp-Horinek representing the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma (black sweatshirt). In San Francisco, hundreds gathered outside the site of the Governors’ Climate and Forest Task Force meeting leading up to the Global Climate Action Summit.
RISE Against Climate Capitalism – Sept 10, 2018
Outside the site of the Governors’ Climate and Forest Task Force meeting leading up to the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), indigenous groups and frontline communities call on Governor Brown to STAND WITH COMMUNITIES and reject the false solutions being pushed by climate profiteers and the fossil fuel industry.
RISE Against Climate Capitalism – Sept 10, 2018
In San Francisco, hundreds gathered outside the site of the Governors’ Climate and Forest Task Force meeting leading up to the Global Climate Action Summit.
Blackrock Investment Firm – San Francisco – December 2019
Youth Led Climate Strike – BlackRock Divest from Destruction And Invest in a Green New Deal From the action organizers at Youth Vs Apocalypse: “Youth and allies call for an occupation at BlackRock, an investment firm that is the world’s largest monetary backer of fossil fuel companies, Amazon deforestation and one of the largest investors in private prison corporations.”
San Francisco Financial District – September 2019
– Climate Strike for Climate Justice – Two long blocks and several banks shut down on Montgomery Street to protest institutions that finance the fossil fuel industry and profit off the destruction of the planet and future generations. Giant street murals envision solutions to the climate crisis. This action is part of a week of actions that was kicked off by the Global Youth Climate Strike.
San Francisco Financial District – September 2019
– Climate Strike for Climate Justice – Two long blocks and several banks shut down on Montgomery Street to protest institutions that finance the fossil fuel industry and profit off the destruction of the planet and future generations. Giant street murals envision solutions to the climate crisis. This action is part of a week of actions that was kicked off by the Global Youth Climate Strike.
MASSIVE Street Mural – September 2018
RISE for Climate, Jobs & Justice – As part of a global week of action, 50 communities and organizations designed and painted giant circular murals on all 4 streets surrounding San Francisco Civic Center Plaza and the UN Plaza. The murals envisioned the future we’re trying to create.
RISE for Climate, Jobs & Justice – September, 2018
David Solnit shows youth volunteers how to lay out the templates for the basket pattern design that will ‘weave’ together 50 circular murals surrounding Civic Center Plaza and UN Plaza to create one MASSIVE street mural. Basket design by Edward Willie
RISE for Climate, Jobs & Justice – September, 2018
Youth volunteers head out with sets of basket pattern templates. This design will ‘weave’ together 50 circular murals surrounding Civic Center Plaza and UN Plaza to create one MASSIVE street mural. Basket design by Edward Willie
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October, 2021
20 groups designed and painted circular murals which were then ‘woven’ together into a massive mural with an indigenous inspired basket design, filling the streets in front of BlackRock. The paint was non-toxic, some of it made from ash and charcoal from CA wildfires, some of it clay based from the CA foothills.
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October, 2021
Ramaytush Ohlone mural – 20 groups designed and painted circular murals which were then ‘woven’ together into a massive mural with an indigenous inspired basket design, filling the streets in front of BlackRock. The paint was non-toxic, some of it made from ash and charcoal from CA wildfires, some of it clay based from the CA foothills.
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October, 2021
20 groups designed and painted circular murals which were then ‘woven’ together into a massive mural with an indigenous inspired basket design, filling the streets in front of BlackRock. The paint was non-toxic, some of it made from ash and charcoal from CA wildfires, some of it clay based from the CA foothills.
Napa Valley Climate Fire Mural – April, 2018
Charcoal from the Northbay fires of 2017 and paints made from local clay soils, were the materials used for the Napa Valley community mural commemorating the 6 month “anniversary” of the fire.
Napa Valley Climate Fire Mural – April, 2018
This mural commemorated the 6 month “anniversary” of the Napa + Northbay Fire Complex. It was a participatory community mural that was painted entirely out of natural earth-based materials birthed from the fires, such as coals, ashes, and soils. REMEMBER + PROTECT – Water, Climate, Future Generations. This mural painting was organized by 350.org Arts Organizing Project and Chalk Riot!.
Capital Mall – Sacramento, CA – January, 2020
CalSTRS – DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS – Organized by: Earth Guardians Bay Area, Youth Vs Apocalypse, 350 Sacramento, Climate Reality Project UC Davis, Fridays for Future Sacramento, Sunrise Movement Sacramento, Sunrise Movement Davis, and Fossil Free California.
State Capital – Sacramento, CA – January, 2020
An oil tanker and young people drenched in fake ‘oil’ were pulled down the Capital Mall in Sacramento to protest CalSTRS $6BILLION investment in fossil fuel holdings.
Civil disobedience from the Earth Guardians at CalSTRS Board Meeting – Sacramento, CA – November, 2019
– Civil disobedience from the Earth Guardians at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System – Board Meeting, with the message – DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS
Sunrise Movement – Davis Chapter @ CalSTRS – Sacramento, CA – November, 2019
– Sunrise Movement – Davis Chapter, with a message for CalSTRS (California State Teachers Retirement System) – DIVEST FROM FOSSIL FUELS
San Francisco Financial District – September 2019
– Climate Strike for Climate Justice – Two long blocks and several banks shut down on Montgomery Street to protest institutions that finance the fossil fuel industry and profit off the destruction of the planet and future generations. Giant street murals envision solutions to the climate crisis. This action is part of a week of actions that was kicked off by the Global Youth Climate Strike.
San Francisco Financial District – September 2019
– Climate Strike for Climate Justice – Two long blocks and several banks shut down on Montgomery Street to protest institutions that finance the fossil fuel industry and profit off the destruction of the planet and future generations. Giant street murals envision solutions to the climate crisis. This action is part of a week of actions that was kicked off by the Global Youth Climate Strike.
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October 2021
– BlackRock’s San Francisco headquarters In the lead-up to COP26 (the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland), hundreds rallied in front of BlackRock, the worlds’ largest asset manager, with the message: “BLACKROCK, BANKS & BIDEN: STOP SETTING OUR WORLD ON FIRE!” The SF Bay Area based group Youth vs Apocalypse, led hundreds of high school and middle school students, who were missing school, in a march for their future through the San Francisco financial district, calling on banks to divest from fossil fuels.
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October, 2021
– BlackRock’s San Francisco headquarters In the lead-up to COP26 (the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland), hundreds rallied in front of BlackRock, the worlds’ largest asset manager, with the message: “BLACKROCK, BANKS & BIDEN: STOP SETTING OUR WORLD ON FIRE!” The SF Bay Area based group Youth vs Apocalypse, led hundreds of high school and middle school students, who were missing school, in a march for their future through the San Francisco financial district, calling on banks to divest from fossil fuels.
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October 2021
– Blockading the front doors of BlackRock’s San Francisco headquarters In the lead-up to COP26 (the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland), hundreds rallied in front of BlackRock, the worlds’ largest asset manager, with the message: “BLACKROCK, BANKS & BIDEN: STOP SETTING OUR WORLD ON FIRE!” From organizer David Solnit: “Climate change is here, it is not a problem for the future; it has destroyed whole towns and communities at an ever increasing rate. We need Joe Biden and world leaders to act ahead of COP26 in Glasgow. We need top assets managers like BlackRock to divest. Time is up.”
Wells Fargo – Divest from Fossil Fuel Pipelines – November, 2017
Idle No More leads the painting of the giant street mural (Thunderbird Woman Rising), in front of Wells Fargo in San Francisco and calls on the bank to stop funding fossil fuel projects.
Earth Day – 2013
Native women led march in San Francisco for environmental and climate justice
Flood Wall St West – Stop Climate Chaos Profiteers – Sept 28, 2015
People locked together inside the entrance to Bank of the West headquarters, while dozens outside painted a mural in the blocked intersection reading “Stop Climate Chaos Profiteers #FloodTheSystem”. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas which is the French banking sector’s top financier of the coal industry. It is also one of the corporate sponsors of the United Nations climate summit (COP21) in Paris, illustrating that to depend on the United Nations process would likely be a tragic mistake.
Art Build – Richmond, CA – November, 2017
– Native Nations artists Isaac Murdoch (turquoise t-shirt) and Christi Belcourt (to his left in the photo), join Bay Area organizers and artists David Solnit (black t-shirt) and Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie (behind him) and others to screen print some of Isaac’s and Christi’s designs before a huge action in San Francisco. Their incredible designs have become iconic of the movement to stop oil pipelines and can be seen at protests all over the world, including the massive actions led by the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota, to block the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)
Art Build in West Oakland – Oct 2016
Dozens gathered to paint banners, screen print and hand paint the screen printed flags. The large banner shown here was headed to Standing Rock in North Dakota, to replace one like it that had been destroyed.
Art Build in SF for Forward On Climate Rally – February, 2013
Idle No More SF Bay is a Native American group (and allies) working “to create positive change concerning Indigenous rights, the rights of Mother Earth, and the rights of the coming generations to a sustainable and healthy environment.” The Forward On Climate Rally in SF coincided with the main rally in Washington DC and other rallies around the country to stop the KeystoneXL Pipeline.
Art Build to Stop Line 3 – Richmond, CA – April, 2021
Flags that had been screen printed were then hand painted by a couple dozen volunteers. Some of these flags were then bundled to hand off to Bay Area groups headed to Minnesota to stand with the indigenous Water Protectors fighting the Line 3 tar sands pipeline.
RISE – Global Climate Action Summit – September, 2018
The group 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations has a big presence at many climate related actions in the Bay Area. They are often the first to show up, blockading city streets and creating the safe spaces for rallies, street painting and direct actions (all of which, they have also been know to take part in!)
Blackrock – Defund Climate Chaos! – October, 2021
The group 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations has a big presence at many climate related actions in the Bay Area. They are often the first to show up, blockading city streets and creating the safe spaces for rallies, street painting and direct actions (all of which, they have also been know to take part in!)
Tiquipaya, Bolivia – April, 2010
– People’s World Conference on Climate Change – In response to a failed COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, this forum was an initiative of Bolivian President Evo Morales, “to discuss the structural and systemic causes of climate change and propose substantive measures that facilitate the well-being of mankind in harmony with nature.”
Tiquipaya, Bolivia – April, 2010
– People’s World Conference on Climate Change – In response to a failed COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, this forum was an initiative of Bolivian President Evo Morales, “to discuss the structural and systemic causes of climate change and propose substantive measures that facilitate the well-being of mankind in harmony with nature.”
Cochabamba, Bolivia – April, 2010
– While celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their successful fight to stop the privatization of their water by Bechtel Corporation, many in Cochabamba continue to struggle for access to water. They ask how it can be fair for water to flow in public fountains in some neighborhoods while others have no access at all. The challenges are extreme for poor communities faced with regionally dwindling water sources. Solutions are complicated by corruption, abuse and pressure from foreign sources to adopt “water for profit” models for water management.
Cochabamba, Bolivia – April, 2010
– While celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their successful fight to stop the privatization of their water by Bechtel Corporation, many in Cochabamba continue to struggle for access to water. They ask how it can be fair for water to flow in public fountains in some neighborhoods while others have no access at all. The challenges are extreme for poor communities faced with regionally dwindling water sources. Solutions are complicated by corruption, abuse and pressure from foreign sources to adopt “water for profit” models for water management.
Cochabamba, Bolivia – April, 2010
– While celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their successful fight to stop the privatization of their water by Bechtel Corporation, many in Cochabamba continue to struggle for access to water. They ask how it can be fair for water to flow in public fountains in some neighborhoods while others have no access at all. The challenges are extreme for poor communities faced with regionally dwindling water sources. Solutions are complicated by corruption, abuse and pressure from foreign sources to adopt “water for profit” models for water management.
Cochabamba, Bolivia – April 2010
– While celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their successful fight to stop the privatization of their water by Bechtel Corporation, many in Cochabamba continue to struggle for access to water. They ask how it can be fair for water to flow in public fountains in some neighborhoods while others have no access at all. The challenges are extreme for poor communities faced with regionally dwindling water sources. Solutions are complicated by corruption, abuse and pressure from foreign sources to adopt “water for profit” models for water management.