New Media Advocacy Project: Building a Movement to Resist Fossil Fuels

In 2018 and 2019, Ugandan and Congolese community leaders and civil society activists traveled to Nigeria, Ecuador and California to learn about the social, environmental and health impacts of oil and gas activities. They sought to understand how others defend and protect the rights of those whose lives are affected by fossil fuel extraction and refining, whether oil ever delivers on its economic development promise, and what alternative energy paths exist.

“We have seen this from Nigeria, in Ecuador, and now in the U.S. — one of the most developed nations in the world. We are told that oil extraction will make you rich. But what we see here is that… the quality of life of the poor is actually worsened by oil extraction.” — Diana Nabiruma, Africa Institute for Energy Governance (Uganda)

IUCN NL organized the learning exchanges alongside host partners and co-produced the films documenting the visits. IUCN NL is the Dutch national committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature–the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network.