YEAR OF CLIMATE ACTIVISM 2008-09 RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT Rainforest Action Network campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action. ThE year of climate activism When esteemed scientists like NASA’s James Hansen warn us that time Activism is a way of moving us from a society of individual responsibility is running out to solve climate change, we should listen. The world to a world of collective social action under the premise that by cannot afford to let another opportunity to address the climate crisis combining our voices, we become more powerful than we could ever evaporate in indecision, particularly as leader begin preparing for be as isolated individuals. The power of collective action allows us to crucial climate talks in Copenhagen later this year. rise above individual greed and to pursue common sense policies that benefit us all. What do weekends, the right to vote before being taxed, Change in America has always resulted from citizens joining together equal pay for equal work, and the ability to breathe clean air all have in and demanding it from the ground up. One of our founding national common? They were all once deemed controversial, yet today are taken moments, the Boston Tea Party, was an act of public civil disobedience for granted as rights that all people should possess. And they were all aimed at stopping an unsustainable economic system. achieved through collective activism. In 2009, we must achieve one of the greatest economic and Activism is the strident voice and nagging conscience of democracy. environmental transformations of our time: the drastic reduction of Activism is the change that people bring to governments and corporations global greenhouse emissions in order to stop climate change and the through letters, petitions, campaigns, divestments, boycotts, rallies, unsustainable economic system at its heart. If this is to be the year of the blogging, street marches, sit-ins, strikes, or putting their bodies in harm’s climate, it must also be the year of climate activism. way to prevent greater societal ills. Our actions as activists are the votes that we cast outside the ballot box – for greater rights, greater equality, Recent surveys show that seven in 10 Americans understand that global and greater freedom. Activism is the willingness to risk one’s own self- warming is a real and urgent problem. Last year, the United Nations’ interest in pursuit of the greater good. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change asserted that human activity is the unequivocal source of the problem and warned that large Activism is what America was founded on. areas of the planet could become uninhabitable unless significant and immediate action is taken to slow greenhouse gas emissions. The coming year is an opportunity for all Americans to ensure that climate change is addressed by the new administration, and that our While we all need to do our part, simply making the switch to energy- domestic policies prioritize long overdue structural changes to our efficient light bulbs is not a cure for the structural problems that are the economy and environment – including the complete phase-out of coal greatest contributors to climate change. Domestic regulations governing power in the United States. building codes and appliance standards must be ratified and enforced, along with an overhaul of the global food system and carbon emissions policies. Though such issues are highly complex and affect millions of people, regulations – where they exist – are usually developed with ENERGY and FINANCE PROGRAM GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING minimal public input. Community involvement and action on climate change forces governments to become more responsive and transparent, Global Finance Campaign RAN Chapters, RYSE 14 SUPPORTERS 20 6 which in turn creates a more effective, decisive and democratic system. Michael Brune, Executive Director Freedom from Oil Campaign 8 Protect-an-Acre 17 FINANCIAL STATEMENT 22 FORESTS PROGRAM NEW INITIATIVES Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign 10 Climate Action Fund 18 STAFF / BOARD 23 Pulp and Paper Campaign 12 Chevron Campaign 19 Adam Wolpert, Untitled #10, 60” x 48”, oil on linen on board, 2009 RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT 03 Tropical Forests Program Forests and the climate are inextricably linked. RAN’s Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign has Worldwide, the degradation and destruction of been working on one of the two leading drivers tropical rainforests is responsible for fifteen percent of this destruction – palm oil - for over 2 years. Energy and Finance Program of all annual greenhouse emissions. The world’s third After Grassy Narrows was won last year, the Old largest greenhouse gas emitter, Indonesia, is now Growth team decided to join forces with them to Burning fossil fuels like coal for electricity is the ground zero for climate change and deforestation. attack the other lead driver, demand for pulp and The massive emissions from Indonesian forest single largest cause of greenhouse gas pollution in to stop funding high carbon projects and instead paper. This decision means that RAN now has a destruction is eight percent of the world’s total strong Tropical Forest Program attacking the hottest the United States, with the transportation sector run- prioritize energy efficiency and renewable energy emissions. That’s more than the emissions from all rainforest problem in the world today. The goal of ning a close second thanks to automobile tailpipe projects, including wind and solar. the cars, planes, trucks, buses and trains in the U.S. RAN’s Forest Programs is to stop deforestation and emissions. With the recent focus on the Canadian combined. degradation of tropical rainforests and to ensure tar sands, oil will come at an even higher carbon that Indigenous and forest communities have the premium—a gallon of gas produced from the tar Despite this, Indonesia continues to focus more on right to determine the future of their land. sands is three times more carbon-intensive from well short term profits than long term problems. If climate to wheel than conventional oil. The goal of RAN’s change continues unabated, Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, could be underwater in the not so distant Energy and Finance Program is to end our reliance future. Nonetheless, the Indonesian government has on fossil fuels, with an emphasis on coal and oil. To plans to convert up to 30 million additional hectares succeed, we are focusing our efforts on the financial of forest into plantations over the coming decade. Photo by Lou Dematteis / Redux industry, which has the leverage through its financing Borneo photo by Faye Osman 04 RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT 05 GLOBAL FINANCE CAMPAIGN Since the launch of RAN’s Coal Finance campaign, we have won con- mated that it has cessions from our target banks—Citi and Bank of America—and invest- been de-listed ments in new coal-fired power plants in the United States have slowed from the Dow dramatically. Last year, Bank of America released a first of its kind coal Jones index. Bank policy to phase out financing for companies whose predominant coal of America has mining practice is through mountaintop removal. Citi also recently re- fared slightly bet- leased a statement on MTR. The mere mention of mountaintop removal ter. JPMorgan by both these banks indicates the impact that RAN’s campaign has Chase, however, made in raising the profile of and limiting funding for mountaintop re- emerged as the moval coal mining. strongest finan- cial institution on Last year, amidst the chaos of the global economic crisis, RAN’s Coal Wall Street and is Finance Campaign bore down on the coal industry while Wall Street now the biggest struggled to get its bearing. Through a series of high-profile, solutions- underwriter for oriented actions at coal-fired power plants and in the coalfields of Ap- the fossil fuels industry in the world. palachia, we succeeded in building a more broad-based and activated clean energy movement. In addition to the actions RAN organized, In the coming year, the vast majority of our efforts will be directed to- we also supported our allies at the proposed Cliffside coal-fired power wards stopping MTR in its entirety. Success engenders success, by em- plant, in which 44 people were arrested. powering and motivating wider public engagement moving forward. We didn’t completely let up on the banks either. In October, with al- We believe that a focus on MTR has the greatest chance of effecting lies we drew a crowd of 150 people to the Citi and Bank of America significant change—protecting the people, forests and mountains of Ap- branches in Boston. And in November, our national day of action gen- palachia and building the strength of a movement that is critical for erated over 300 actions in 20 cities across the U.S. In early spring, ensuring our clean energy future. This work will include prioritizing pres- RAN met with representatives from Bank of America and Citi; and later sure on JPMorgan Chase, now the largest Wall Street bank and a lead we were in attendance, both inside and outside, at their annual general financier of the companies engaging in MTR, as well as a broader effort meetings. to drive all finance away from MTR. At the same time, our research and consultation with allies has revealed that the other most important In the end, Citi and Bank of America both took extraordinary hits as a contribution to stopping the practice would be in winning a ban on result of the financial meltdown. Just over a year ago, Citi was the most mountaintop removal mining from the Obama administration.