![\"Resist](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2017\/12\/d7250eb5-gp0stqh1z.jpg\" "\\"Resist")
We’ve all been reading the headlines. The onslaught of news stories; lamely quitting globally accepted climate agreements, the banging of war drums for cash, the accusations of sexual misconduct, the corporate bullying, the wanton exploitation of our precious planet \u2013 it has all been disheartening and exhausting.<\/p>\n\n
Yet, we did not back down. We did not succumb to disillusionment and apathy.<\/p>\n\n
We have been equal to each and every challenge that has been set against us. Each and every wilful misrepresentation of what we stand for, each and every attempt to ignore the fierce fires and storm warnings<\/a> of a planet under siege and the myriad of cynical incentives to consume, consume, consume. These false narratives and attempts to hijack our future have not deterred us. Instead, they have galvanised us and drawn us closer together in a common acknowledgement of what we all need to do:<\/p>\n\n Resist and rise.<\/p>\n\n Part of effective resistance is to look ahead. Look at the possibilities that have opened up in front of us because of the challenges we all face. Movements, like #metoo<\/a>, have reminded us how a single act of courage can be contagious and can lead to much bigger changes in society.<\/p>\n\n Rising up means moving quickly to spot opportunities and embrace and encourage solutions. The rapid pace at which wind and solar energy<\/a> is marginalising those who once tried to marginalise us for daring to dream of a healthier world is an opportunity we all must seize. Rising is about making sure we keep this momentum going as much as it means innovating new ways to make sure our demands are met.<\/p>\n\n When politicians want to act against climate change, they can leap over the fossil fuel puppets<\/a> standing in their way. We\u2019ve learned how to encourage and empower real leaders. At home, we\u2019re learning the backstory of the food that ends up on our plates and how that story is either saturated with the chemicals of agribusiness, or infused with the healthy nourishment of sustainable, healthy eco-agriculture. Yes, we can<\/em> feed the planet<\/a> in a more healthy and ecologically-friendly way.<\/p>\n\n We also have learned that in resistance, all acts of courage are equal. One man taking a knee<\/a> during the anthem of an American football game is just as courageous as collecting the waste on a beach<\/a> in the Philippines. People of all ages putting their bodies in front of logging machinery<\/a> in an ancient Polish forest is as powerful as a 12 year-old girl in Canada who asked us, \u201cHow do I begin making the world right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n Courage begins by questioning a contrived and imposed reality. The struggle for that 12 year-old\u2019s future is as much about challenging what we\u2019ve been hard-wired to believe about ourselves \u2013 that we need to buy things to feel good, that we are powerless against massive institutions \u2013 as it is taking an unequivocal stand against the seemingly powerful entities that want to rip this one and only planet apart to fill their wallets and cling to power.<\/p>\n\n These, after all, are the very same few people whose falsities we\u2019ve refused to accept as the norm. These are the people trying to convince us that we are powerless. It is their barometer we\u2019re using to measure our self-worth. We know who they are now, so tomorrow we know how to resist them.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow we will continue to reclaim that barometer as we learn to regain trust and love in ourselves and every other living thing. This is how yesterday\u2019s great accomplishments \u2013 from exposing shady trade deals<\/a>, to documenting a vast and previously unknown peatland<\/a> in the Congo Basin, from establishing vast marine sanctuaries<\/a>, to holding governments and corporations legally accountable<\/a>, from finally declaring the retirement of single-use plastic<\/a>, to loudly ringing the death knell of oil and coal<\/a> \u2013 become the springboard from which we leap into a healthy, sustainable and renewable future.<\/p>\n\n And, in the spirit of reclaiming that barometer, let\u2019s not think about our future in terms of years. Let\u2019s think about our future in terms of what we will do tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow we break the cycle of overconsumption.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow we hold corporations accountable.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow we try to decrease the terrible impact of the industrial livestock machine.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow, we stand together so that people everywhere are treated a little more equally.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow we shake power structures that only serve the few at the expense of the many.<\/p>\n\n Tomorrow we are positive about our future and will rebuild the planet the way it should be.<\/p>\n\n Because tomorrow, we resist and we rise.<\/p>\n\n We’ll see you there.<\/p>\n\n![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2017\/12\/f16d1400-gp0stqzgf.jpg\" "\\"Solar")
![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2017\/12\/e71da817-gp01pmi.jpg\" "\\"Kids")
![\"Freedom](\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-international-stateless\/2017\/12\/8236d984-gp0str259.jpg\" "\\"Freedom")