Since 2017, our collective has focused on the European fossil gas industry. We chose to work on fossil gas, not only because gas is bad for the climate, but also because we see it as a strategic entry point to dismantling interlinked and self-reinforcing systems of oppression.
Over the past years, together with our close allies, we have lifted the fight against gas to a new level. We have supported grassroots groups fighting European fossil gas expansion (and have helped to set up new ones!). We have facilitated the flow of information between NGOs and grassroots groups. We have built capacity and created connections between the climate justice movement and other movements. Compared to when we first started out, these movements have evolved so much, and in so many directions, that it is no longer even possible for us to fully grasp how many groups are working on gas, and where – and we believe that’s a good thing!
We believe that the revolutionary work of social change is in how we work, as much as what work we do. We apply this approach to each aspect of our work: the external projects, the external relationships and the internal dynamics.
The energy transition taking place right now is not what we imagined when we first began fighting the gas industry. We envision a world in which alternatives to fossil capitalism and its energy systems have become mainstream and widespread.
These alternatives are in the hands of communities, and they feel meaningful, joyful and irresistible. They look different in different contexts, because they are rooted in the histories and geographies of each place. They start with energy, but they expand way beyond. That’s the world we want to live in.
In order to see the alternatives we wish to be implemented, we are co-creating a vision of an energy transition that is reclaimed from the capitalist and right wing forces, an energy transition that is decoupled from war and oppression. For this we’re contributing to building more intersectional and resilient movements, with solidarity politics and care as core values to live and work by, while striving for a better world.
While opposition to gas infrastructure is our starting point, the struggles we are involved in intersect with issues like militarisation, land rights, geopolitical conflicts and energy democracy. These intersecting struggles inform our work and our goals.
We recognise that climate change is wrapped up in the neocolonial capitalist system and all the other oppressions that system causes – such as racism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia and speciesism. We use gas as a lens to fight against many other injustices which are perpetuated by the fossil fuel industry. Our call for climate justice is also a call for justice for all oppressed groups.
We focus on grassroots activism because of the potential it has to really create new spaces, dialogues and ways of working which challenge that system.
While our work extends in all these multiple dimensions, the way we work is based on networks of trust and connection, both with NGOs and the grassroots world, as we believe that the strengths of our movement lies in the relationships we create between us.
This belief extends to our internal processes: we work on our own policies to be a good foundation for our constant changing needs. We’re developing a culture of care, because even if care takes effort and sometimes is hard, we can’t not do it. It’s what makes the difference between only doing work for the sake of the revolution we all need and caring for the people fighting in it too.
As a collective, we aim to organise in the most horizontal and consensus-based way possible. We try to be aware of roles and power dynamics, and to adapt them towards ways that feel comfortable and sustainable for all members.
We have a deep wish for this collective to integrate into our work the values of intersectional feminism, true anti-racism, anti-colonialism and inclusivity for all genders, ages, religions and backgrounds. We know this is a big ask, and that we will probably fail at times and have to try again. Your feedback on how we do so is welcome, and your support is needed.
By working on the EastMed pipeline, we have felt a need to write our position on Palestine – Israel, which sets the frame of how we work in the region. You can read our position on Palestine – Israel and our reflection on what can we do in the climate justice movement after 7th Oct 2023.
The Gastivists are funded by private foundations, individual donors and corporations with an ethical core business.
We don’t accept money from:
Our current funders are:
In the past we were funded by:
We are now 12 people in the collective and we had over the years different internal structures. We usually onboard based on need and we advertise the vacant positions. We organise based on a sociocracy model adapted to our own understandings. We have work circles that are developing projects and internal circles that look at Care and Financial health aspects of the collective.
The Care circle is very important for us as its main mission is to monitor the overall health of the collective, while holding up to the Gastivists values and framework. We are trying to care for our members not only as workers, but also as people that live in a challenging world.
The Care Circle is developing our care policies and processes (like sick days policy, parental leave, long-term illness or travel policies) and facilitate collective learning processes when needed.
Moreover, we aim to share knowledge and experience regarding care practices outside the collective and promote care culture within the activist movement.
Since June 2021, we have been excited to welcome Gastivists members from Poland, Romania, Italy and Greece. They are each trying to forward the fight against gas in their local context. Moreover, we are considering regional work essential, in order to question and fight eurocentrism and western european bias. We would like to continue building relationships and producing resources that are relevant for activists in the Balkans and MENA regions and we are working at extending our networks in these specific areas.
You can find more about this specific work under Our Projects section.