How am I meant to be an adult when everything is happening all the time?
I have no idea what I'm doing but annoying the fossil fuel industry seems like a good place to start.
Event Alert: Brussels Climate Drinks, 23 October!
Find out more and get your free tickets here to our agenda-free climate drinks where you can opt in or out of networking, depending on your mood.
I’ve been having an existential crisis.
Perhaps it’s the seasons changing or getting older, but suddenly I’m plagued with doubt that I’m wasting My Precious Potential. I open social media and learn that everyone else is getting up at 6am to go jogging, or travelling the world, or buying a house, or launching an NGO and I am here. Staring at the lives of others on a screen in the dark. Cool.
When I was at uni, my plan was to become a writer on climate justice. I guess I assumed that the rest of adult life would just ‘fall into place’. Well I managed the writer part, but the second part is still in process. Let me say it for the sake of anyone else comparing themselves to people on the internet: I do not have my shit together.
Even if, like me, you aren’t interested in the whole ‘graduation-stable job-house-marriage-kids’ trajectory, it’s easy to internalise the pressure to figure out what you really want instead. The extra spectre of the climate crisis, political inaction and widening inequality adds a level of urgency to decide what to do Right Now. Enjoy your life! But also prepare for global breakdown! Also wear suncream! But don’t stress too much! But your job might be taken by AI anyway!
There’s no dream job, perfect relationship or ideal home that will keep at bay the rising temperatures or the self-doubt that finds us alone at 2am. But we’re not alone. Every one of my accomplished, intelligent and wonderful friends that I talked to are grappling with the same doubts about their jobs, relationships, and long-term plans.
It’s normal to feel this doubt at any age. And to be honest, a bit of doubt is undoubtedly better than sleepwalking through life and trying not to think about scary things.
The traditional goals we were taught don’t fit our current social reality, based on economic and ecological instability. Building a better future takes some trial and error. Those of us that feel untethered or directionless are only ‘failing’ according to metrics that aren’t fit for purpose anymore.
There is no such thing as wasted potential or obligation to ‘settle down’. We are here on the planet by chance. The only potential that I want to pursue is the potential for happiness, the potential to spend more time outside and with other people, and to help others have more freedom, more trees, more birds and more diversity than we do now.
What’s Going On?
'No work, no pay,' Samsung warns Indian workers striking over low wages.
Related: Meta faces courts in Kenya over the mass sacking of content moderators.Amazon, Blackstone and Exxon among the corporations doing the most to undermine democracy, new report finds.
Related: Fossil fuel companies have invested more than £4bn in greenwashed sports sponsorship.Create ‘positive tipping points’ with climate mandates, governments urged.
Related: Rich countries could easily raise five times the money that poor countries are demanding in climate finance.Fashion brands are increasing and hiding their use of synthetic fibres reliant on plastic, even several pledging to reduce plastic.
Related: California sues Exxon Mobil over ‘sham’ of plastics recycling.Just Stop Oil protestors jailed for 22 months for throwing soup at the glass case of a painting.
Related: The UK closes down its last coal-fired power generator.
We work hard to keep The Green Fix free. If you have the means, please consider tipping us a virtual coffee.
Focus On… Fossil Free Politics
Cass Hebron chats to Nathan Stewart, Coordinator of the Fossil Free Politics campaign.
What is the mission of the Fossil Free Politics campaign?
We want climate policy to be conducted entirely in the public interest. This means making sure we cut fossil fuel interests out of politics, similar to existing restrictions on the tobacco industry.
Fossil fuel companies and their lobbyists have long delayed, weakened and blocked climate action, while subverting energy policy in their own interests. The fossil fuel industry's successful lobbying and direct opposition to policy measures that tackle global warming have hindered EU governments' efforts to implement policies that meet climate targets.
Our four main demands are:
End fossil fuel industry access to decision-making.
Prevent conflicts of interest for decision-makers.
End preferential treatment of the fossil fuel industry.
Reject partnerships with the fossil fuel industry.
We are a coalition of over 200 organisations across Europe, working on both the EU and national levels.
How influential are the fossil fuel lobby in EU policy?
It’s hard to say! And that’s the whole point. We have produced numerous reports on the issue (with one that came out last week).
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the fossil fuel industry has enjoyed unprecedented access to decision-making, taking the lead in Europe’s energy crisis response whilst scaling back on climate commitments.
Fossil Free Politics research shows oil companies actively lobbied and weakened social measures, including windfall taxes, at the national and EU levels, that would have helped millions during the energy crisis. They also pushed for further fossil gas and oil lock-ins for decades to come.
Further fossil-fuelled influence includes:
Over 200 meetings between EU Commission senior staff and fossil fuel lobbyists the year after the invasion.
Between 2019 and 2024, EU Commissioners and their cabinets have had nearly 900 total meetings with fossil fuel lobbyists. That’s nearly once every working day for four and half years. This number even excludes nearly 100 more meetings with renewable energy associations with fossil fuels company members.
The creation of the EU Energy Platform Industry Advisory Group at the behest of Big Energy CEOs, set-up to advise the Commission on new sources of non-Russian gas and new fossil fuel infrastructure in the EU. This ad-hoc body now risks being made permanent.
Don't NGOs also lobby heavily?
Semantics! I think we know the difference between what NGOs and civil society groups do and what the biggest corporations do. But in terms of tactics used, some things overlap.
It’s important to give decision-makers access to research that can inform their work, but there’s a huge difference when it’s done for profit versus done for the good of the people.
But even just in terms of the sheer numbers of industry lobbyists compared to the workers at NGOs here, it’s no contest. There’s something like 37x as many corporate lobbyists in Brussels. The resource gap is enormous. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.
What plans does the FFP have to tackle this?
So we have all of our lobbying…sorry, advocacy efforts focused on legislative and regulatory opportunities there are here in Brussels and at national level.
But alongside all that, as such a large coalition of members, Fossil Free Politics can really be a network for all the people working hard to counter this influence, and we need to keep in touch.
Brussels and Strasbourg are small cities with a limited number of bars, restaurants, and cafes. We want to make fossil fuel lobbyists feel seen and judged for what they do. This starts by refusing to hang out with them. Basically, it is anything to promote a stigma around people choosing to lobby for fossil fuels. Same as we judge people working for Big Tobacco! Our stickers are popping up everywhere around the EU quarter, so keep it up.
With this in mind, we’re organising fossil free drinks on the last Thursday of every month in Zonneklop in Brussels. And we’d love to see similar events across Europe. Keep an eye on our social media.
But we also want to make sure parents can join too, so we’ll be doing some afternoon events in the coming months too. What’s nice about the afternoon is that it counts as work when (unless you have a strong overtime policy) after-work drinks don’t!
You can follow Fossil Free Politics on their website, Instagram and X @FossilFreeEU.
So Now What Do I Do?
LEARN SOMETHING
Want to study a degree with an environmental focus? ClimaTalk have updated their university course map.
Listen: From Coloniality to Regeneration, a podcast episode with Wangũi wa Kamonji.
TRY SOMETHING NEW
Apply to be a guest writer for The Green Fix! Introductions and Focus sections both open. We particularly welcome people from underrepresented backgrounds.
The Echoing Green Fellowship is looking for young founders to support! Deadline 8 October.
The Oxford Climate Journalism Network is taking applications until the 13th October for their six-month online programme for journalists.
Share your solutions for sustainable cities for the Rethink Cities Innovation Awards before 15 October!
CHANGE THE SYSTEM
The Green Fix is now offering low-cost sponsored slots on the newsletter. Book your slot by emailing wearethegreenfix@gmail.com.
Stay in the loop
You can follow us on Twitter @TheGreenFix, Instagram @thegreenfix_ and LinkedIn. Connect with Cass on Instagram @cass.hebron and LinkedIn Cass J Hebron.
Wooooo hooooo!