RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK : What “PEOPLE AND PLANET” means to us...

 

Dear friend, “For People and Planet” — that’s the RAN motto. And there’s a reason ‘people’ comes first. Because centering human rights in the environmental movement isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. Because there can’t be environmental or climate justice without racial and social justice. Forest destruction and fossil fuel extraction bring human rights abuses, illegal (and legal) land grabbing, child labor, political favoritism and systemic racism. Those least responsible for creating environmental crises are often the people who face the first — and the worst — impacts of deforestation and climate change. The neighborhood that’s poisoned by noxious fumes, the community whose water supply is tainted, the village whose ancestral lands are cut down, bulldozed, and burned — they bear the brunt of these extractive and destructive industries. And the corporations fueling this bad business make huge profits while people get sick, lose their livelihoods, or worse. But we know the single most effective way to protect forests is to support Indigenous rights and strengthen Indigenous communities. We know that the strongest resistance to fossil fuel expansion — from Standing Rock to the Rio Grande Valley to the Ecuadorian Amazon — is led by Indigenous and frontline groups. Because 85% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is stewarded by Indigenous peoples. And we know the fight against climate change, deforestation, and human rights abuses is inextricably linked to colonialism, institutional discrimination, and systemic racial inequity. We can’t win real victories for our planet if we’re not committed to challenging fundamental injustice — and racial injustice underpins systemic injustice across the globe. That’s why we demand responsible and practical new policies from our corporate targets — policies that have the protection of human rights as the bottom line, not profits. It’s not just about keeping forests standing. It’s not just about protecting the climate from fossil fuels. It’s not just about protecting species from extinction. It’s about human rights. It’s about fighting systemic injustice. It’s about all of it — because we can’t have environmental or climate justice without racial and social justice. Ready to get started ? Learn more about the Long Isun community and their fight to protect some of Borneo’s last intact rainforests from companies connected to Mondelēz and Procter & Gamble — and how you can help.

Njambi Good Deputy Executive Director Rainforest Action Network

At RAN, we take the “Network” in our name seriously. It is only through your support that we are able to fund major campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life. Please consider joining RAN as a Member by making a gift today. 425 Bush St, Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94108, United States