PowerSwitch! Campaign Highlights

In Thailand, a similar breakthrough for renewables could be within reach.

According to WWF Thailand, a ground breaking proposal will be submitted to cabinet, which, if approved, would open the Thai electricity grid for decentralized and small-scale power producers, of which many are likely to tap renewable sources. WWF and the People Against Coal Coalition have constantly lobbied the Ministry of Energy, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand ,and the Parliament’s Energy Standing Committee to vote in favour of the proposal.

Another solution to the climate crisis is saving energy and using energy efficiently.

To celebrate the efficient use of energy, WWF Indonesia gathered people in one of the city’s biggest shopping malls. Thousands of people signed a petition, urging Indonesian politicians to implement a national energy efficiency programme. The efficiency event in Jakarta was just out of many events the Indonesian PowerSwitch! Campaign organized together with hundreds of volunteers called “Energy Troopers“. The picture shows two mime artists, who used humour to show visitors how they could use electricity more efficiently.

In Europe the key solution is the Emission Trading System (ETS), a mechanism to reduce emissions and to set incentives for clean investments.

WWF tried to maximize the effectiveness of this mechanism by lobbying the EU institutions and national governments, by publishing reports about how to improve the ETS, and by public actions to call for a strong scheme. The photo shows WWF‘s climate witnesses lobbying Stavros Dimas, the EU Environment Commissioner, after a successful joint press conference on dangerous climate change impacts.

More than 37,000 activists around the world took action online towards the end of the campaign.

They called on  on European governments to put tough caps on CO₂ under the Emission Trading Scheme.

Reactions from Ministers in letters or meetings afterwards showed that the action had had a real impact.

In total, more than 600,000 actions were taken by PowerSwitch! supporters all over the world – against dirty coal and for cleaner solutions.

However, we still have a long way to go. Real cuts in emissions and real investments in clean alternatives are necessary to protect people and nature from dangerous climate change. The international PowerSwitch! campaign ends, but the fight for deep cuts in CO₂ and a clean energy future continues!

Future generations, like the boy from Fiji who painted this picture, demand this.