Reinvest in Our Power - Climate Justice Alliance

Overview

• Current Financial System: Organized to extract capital, concentrating wealth in the hands of a few.
• Objective: Divest from the extractive economy and reinvest in community-driven, democratically controlled, ecologically-sound projects.
• Approach: Transfer capital from extractive industries to Just Transition projects.

Reinvest in Our Power Campaign

• Led by: Climate Justice Alliance (CJA)
• Goal: Address inequity and democratize wealth by shifting capital and governance from extractive to regenerative economies.
• Strategies:
  • Move capital to The Financial Cooperative, a democratically-governed network of non-extractive revolving loan funds.
  • Invest in projects owned and operated by frontline communities to establish economic democracy with ecological integrity.

Problems Identified

1. Capital is heavily invested in extractivism, especially fossil fuels.
2. Wealth extraction is being continued through Green Capitalism and false solutions to climate change.
3. Current rules facilitate concentration of capital among a few.
4. Frontline communities lack access to capital for productive, regenerative labor.

Call to Action

• Philanthropy: Urged to divest $100 million from extractive economies and reinvest in regenerative projects.
• Current Philanthropy Wealth: Over 92% of $1.2 trillion is not circulated back to communities, often invested in Wall Street and extractive sectors.
• Long-term Goal: Move trillions to the frontlines to address the climate crisis.

Capital Movement Goals

• Economic control to the people.
• Democratize workplaces.
• Advance ecological restoration.
• Promote racial justice and social equity.
• Localize product and consumption.
• Preserve culture and traditions.

The RiOP Process

• Transition to regenerative, just economies is crucial.
• Highlighted Projects:
  • Natural construction worker-owned cooperative.
  • Numalo Refillery: Zero waste cleaning products.
  • Kheprw Integrated Fund: Supports local BIPOC founders.
  • Centro por la Justicia: Regional Healing & Resiliency Hub.
  • Detroit Peoples Food Co-op and D-Town Farm.
  • Tierra y Libertad: Farmworker-owned cooperative.
  • Hierbas Ancestrales: Natural remedy cooperative.
  • UPROSE Community Solar Project.
  • DIG: Green Infrastructure worker-owned cooperative.

Current Initiatives

• Our Power Loan Fund:
  • Part of Seed Commons community wealth cooperative.
  • Offers technical support and non-extractive financing for local Just Transition projects.
  • Supports creation of democratically-run local loan funds.
  • Builds capacity through shared learning.

Engagement and Education

• Launching Reinvest in Our Power Campaign to redirect funds into non-extractive financing.
• Hosting annual Just Transition Finance Training to educate on non-extractive finance and regenerative economy.

Further Reading and Involvement

• Reinvest in Our Power website
• Seed Commons Community Wealth Cooperative
• From Divest to Reinvest webinar

Contact

• For more information: Reach out to Yuki Kidokoro at [email protected]

These notes summarize the key points from the Climate Justice Alliance’s Reinvest in Our Power initiative, highlighting the campaign’s goals, challenges, and ongoing efforts towards a regenerative economy.