Fossil fuel handouts: The perfect storm for uniting movements / Waging Nonviolence - People-Powered News and Analysis
Robert Pollard
Fossil fuel handouts: The perfect storm for uniting movements
If you found yourself on Twitter yesterday, you might have noticed the rather unlikely hashtag #EndFossilFuelSubsidies trending near the top of all worldwide Twitter activity throughout the day. This was no accident, but rather the result of efforts by 350.org, Avaaz, and other global human rights and environmental organizations whose aim was to start a “Twitter storm” during the current G20 summit of major industrial economies and just ahead of this week’s U.N. Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development.
Considering fossil fuel subsidies are not at first glance the sexiest issue in the world, let alone something that typically goes viral on social media alongside Katy Perry’s new music video #WideAwake or #10AttractivePeopleIFollow, what these groups managed to accomplish is no small feat. While their significant number of followers should not be overlooked as a factor in this Twitter coup, they aren’t the whole story. In large part, the Twitter storm was successful because it focused on an issue that angers almost everyone once they start thinking about it.
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