We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe

Friends of the Earth International argues that current climate emergency declarations by governments in the global North are insufficient and often serve as empty gestures. The organization calls for a fundamental shift from a profit-driven neoliberal economic system to one based on climate justice and human rights, rejecting 'false solutions' like carbon markets and geoengineering in favor of a people-led energy revolution.

• The document asserts that declarations of climate emergencies by local and national governments in the global North are often 'empty gesture[s]' because these nations continue to fund fossil fuel infrastructure and prioritize 'economic feasibility' and 'infinite growth on a finite planet' over urgent action.
• Friends of the Earth International identifies 'false solutions' as initiatives designed to secure corporate profit rather than solve the climate crisis. These include carbon markets, offsetting, mega-hydro, nuclear, bioenergy, geoengineering, and carbon-capture and storage, which allow companies like Shell to continue fossil fuel exploitation.
• The organization advocates for a 'system change approach' that treats energy as a human right and views wind and sunlight as common goods rather than commodities. This model proposes that resources be controlled by the people in the public interest to end over-consumption and ensure energy and food sufficiency.
• A just transition to 100% renewable energy must protect workers' rights and avoid the 'neo-colonial scourge of resource extraction from the global South,' which the document warns that some 'green new deals' may exacerbate.

APA

admin (2019). We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/

Chicago

admin. We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe. Friends of the Earth International, 2019. https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=admin |title=We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=20 September 2019 |url=https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2019have, author = {admin}, title = {{We have a decision to make: Change the system or face climate catastrophe}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.foei.org/we-have-a-decision-to-make-change-the-system-or-face-climate-catastrophe/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }