Photo: Jordan Ellis & XR South Australia
Dear rebel,
This month, the United States repealed the legal ruling establishing that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health. This will allow US vehicles to be less efficient and more polluting but cheaper to make. We understand that sometimes sustainable solutions can sound like pipe dreams. Transportation that doesn’t pollute? Solar and wind power? Divestment? A future where we’re free of fossil fuels? This is the real world, you might say. We can’t risk the inconvenience. We can’t jeopardize profits. It makes us wonder: what is the real world you’re talking about? Is it the world of fossil fuel companies and car manufacturers racing to burn up a finite resource? Is it the currency zipping through online bank accounts? Or is it the measurable increase in global temperatures? The biodiversity loss affecting ecosystems across the globe? The people suffering from pollution and extreme weather in their communities?
One thing is certain: The real world operates on physics and biology, and science cannot be dismissed with the feckless cry of 'hoax'. The worlds of money and power, however, can be changed. And we must change them if we want the real world to be one that can sustain us. The solutions given above are just examples of what can work for different communities, and all communities must work together to discover their solutions and advocate for their future. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll see some of those solutions at work. You’ll see direct actions, better ways to spend money, and resources to learn about what the real world really looks like—and how we can make it look together.
This newsletter is brought to you by XR Global Support, a worldwide network of rebels who help our movement grow and need money to continue this crucial work.
XR GLOBAL CLIMATE JUSTICE CAMPAIGN
Action Highlight: XR Kigali - Cancel the Debt, Heal the Planet
Photo: XR Kigali
In November 2025, activists from Extinction Rebellion Kigali organised a 'Cancel the Debt, Heal the Planet' action in Kigali**,** Rwanda, calling attention to the connection between sovereign debt, climate vulnerability, and environmental justice. The action aligned with broader global climate justice campaigns that argue many lower income countries are constrained by debt repayments that reduce their ability to respond to climate impacts and invest in sustainable development.
The protest brought together youth leaders, grassroots organisers, and climate advocates in a coordinated, non-violent demonstration designed to be both educational and visually engaging. Through placards, coordinated messaging, and symbolic protest elements, participants highlighted how debt pressure can divert public funds away from climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, renewable energy transitions, and ecosystem protection. Messages throughout the action stressed that countries facing the harshest climate risks are often those that contributed least to historical greenhouse gas emissions.
Public engagement formed a key part of the event. Activists interacted with passersby and explained the idea of climate debt and financial justice and encouraged discussion about fair climate finance and accountability from major polluters and international lenders. Youth speakers emphasised the long-term consequences of delayed climate action and the importance of redirecting financial resources toward community resilience and locally led environmental solutions.
The action also helped strengthen collaboration among regional climate justice groups and amplified African perspectives within the global debt and climate conversation. Overall, the Kigali mobilisation reinforced a central message of the campaign: addressing the climate crisis effectively requires both ecological action and economic reform working together.
Action Roundup
January 2026 | XR Australia and XR South Australia: Pedalling to Climate Disaster
Photo: XR Australia
On 22 January, South Australian rebels protested at the Tour Down Under (TDU) cycling event over its sponsor, Santos, an oil and gas company fueling climate change. Activists held a 'Dump Santos' rally with banners, chants, and managed to get onto the race-track with 'Love TDU, Dump Santos' signs, which resulted in four rebels getting arrested. The rebels argue that a company profiting from fossil fuels has no business sponsoring a sporting event that celebrates health and endurance.
The irony was impossible to ignore: while Santos pushed its greenwashed image, the race itself was cut short due to extreme heat and high fire danger risk, as a direct consequence of the climate crisis the company helps drive.
Santos is an Australian‑headquartered oil and gas producer with extensive operations in Australia and Papua New Guinea, with plans to expand. Critics, including the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR), say Santos’s claimed net‑zero target is “greenwashing” because the company continues to push for fossil fuel expansion and relies heavily on unproven carbon capture technology rather than setting stringent emissions cuts. In other words, Santos is promising a clean future while still pumping more carbon into an already overheated planet. Follow Extinction Rebellion South Australia here and XR Australia here.
February 2026 | XR Argentina: Patagonia on Fire
Images: XR Argentina
Rebels in Argentina are protesting the wildfires currently destroying Patagonia. They are among the worst in decades and have already consumed more than 45,000 hectares in the last two months. Thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated.
This devastation is a planned ecocide by a government that prioritises business over life. Tens of thousands of hectares are already lost while authorities are unbothered, leaving fire brigades underfunded and biodiversity in ruins. Indigenous communities, the guardians of land and water and life, are being criminalised and scapegoated for defending their territories, including facing harassment and legal attacks instead of support for their vital role in protecting ecosystems. Follow XR Argentina here.
Positive Action
Education Superheroes Climate Fresk
Photo: Climatefresk.org
Born in France in 2018, the Climate Fresk movement has now educated over 2.3 million people in 168 countries across the world. At its heart, it’s a collaborative workshop that gets participants thinking about the causes and effects of climate change. But for many, it’s a turning point in their lives, motivating them to set up new green initiatives in their schools, workplaces and beyond.
Like Extinction Rebellion, Climate Fresk adopted its organisational model from Sweden’s Pirate Party, first codified in Rick Falkvinge’s 2013 handbook Swarmwise. He described the “swarm” structure: a light central scaffold that empowers people with shared tools, enabling an autonomous movement that scales quickly through decentralisation and initiative.
Already over 100,000 trained 'Freskers' worldwide deliver the 3-hour workshop in over 45 languages, using a standard set of cards based on the latest IPCC data. The workshop guides participants towards a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms at play in climate science, how they’re interlinked, and the need to seek systemic solutions.
After taking part in a workshop, it’s only a small step to becoming a trained facilitator yourself so you can carry the knowledge out into your own communities. Demand for Climate Fresk workshops is huge – it’s a fun, sociable and collaborative way to learn about climate issues that’s also accessible to all audiences (there are special sets of cards for younger players).
Just eight years after its inception, the basic Fresk concept has morphed into a whole rich ecosystem promoting climate literacy. There are now affinity groups focusing on biodiversity, digitisation, the circular economy, soil or ocean health, textiles, and even scenario-building for business decision-makers, such as 2 Tonnes. If you’re casting around for a way to have an impact in your community, this could be for you! Lots of the workshops and trainings are online and the Fresker network is worldwide.
Must Read
The UK government didn’t want you to see this report on ecosystem collapse. I’m not surprised
A distressing report conducted by the British intelligence agencies on Global Biodiversity Loss, Ecosystem Collapse and National Security provides a horrifying analysis of the true threat of the environmental catastrophe which the modern world faces.
The information was supposed to be made public in October 2025, yet it arrived in our hands months later, having been blocked by Parliament until January 2026. Furthermore, the report is an abridged version only and omits the more chilling conclusions which have since been revealed by The Times. The reason for this appalling reluctance for the study to reach public eyes? The implications for the nation’s future are so terrifyingly severe and expose the alarming negligence of all governments.
Large-scale crop failures, widespread natural disasters, and uncontrollable disease outbreaks loom in the future, triggering mass migration, intense global competition for limited food and resources, and likely escalating into military conflict. We are racing towards a tipping point of mass global instability, where no government has the means to protect its citizens. So why are politicians ignoring their last window of chance to make a difference?
Must Watch
Voices Along the Oil Pipeline
Voices Along the Oil Pipeline is a short, captivating documentary that follows a Ugandan mother whose life was upended by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Through her struggle with displacement, documentary director Faridah Mbabazi brings a deeply personal lens to a project framed as 'progress and innovation'. Environmental groups and civil society organisations have raised concerns about resident displacement, compensation disputes, environmental risks, climate impacts, and threats to local livelihoods and ecosystems. Activists, including Ugandan rebels, spotlight one mother’s story as emblematic of the broader social costs borne by vulnerable communities. The documentary echoes concerns raised by regional and international campaigns, including Stop EACOP who have been denouncing the social and environmental impacts of the Total pipeline for years. This documentary is a deeply human, must-watch account that asks who truly pays the price for so-called progress.Watch Voices Along The Oil Pipeline (13 minutes) Follow XR Justice Movement Uganda.
Visit the XR Archives to see our actions on EACOP
Quick Watch
XR 2026 Campaign
Die ins, protests, marches, speeches, posters, chants, music, and art are just a few ways XR Rebels across this beautiful planet offer their time and solidarity to fight to keep Earth beautiful and healthy. Donations help make this powerful work possible. With gratitude, XR Global welcomes donations here. View XR Global’s 2026 campaign donation video here.
Worth a Second Look
Community & XReadiness
The beginning of this year has been gruelling for many people around the world. From murders by ICE through climate disasters, each week has brought discouraging news. Australia has experienced extreme heatwavesand there have been devastating fires in Patagonia. Meanwhile, there have been dangerously cold temperatures in much of the USA and Canada. Large parts of Europe have had back-to-back storms causing extensive damage from Ireland and the UK in the west, to Portugal and Spain in the south. Mozambique,Zimbabwe and South Africa have experienced widespread flooding.
How can we be ready for these events and not lose our energy and hope moving forward? By creating community in whatever way makes sense where you are. The Singing Resistance in Minneapolis is an inspiring example. And for practical ideas about how to get through whatever may be coming in your area, have a look at the checklists in the XReadiness Guide, free online. Read more about why community and preparedness go hand in hand here.
Film Review
Rebellion
Back in 2018, two young filmmakers were asked if they’d be interested in filming a new climate group just starting to organize. No one knew if anything would come of it, but they gamely went along, working practically every weekend for nearly six months, and recorded a tremendous amount of material. All this preparation paid off with the unbelievable success that was Extinction Rebellion’s launch in 2019 when XR shut down London for ten glorious days. Directors Maia Kenworthy and Elena Sánchez Bellot kept their cameras rolling throughout and kept going because the hardest thing after one success is repeating it. Clocking in at just an hour and a half, their documentary, Rebellion is a fascinating fly-on-the-wall look at how XR began, grew, fractured, evolved, and is still here. It is equally compelling for those new to XR and for those who have been around since the early days. Nominated for a Bafta, Rebellion originally came out in 2022 but it has recently become more widely available to rent and watch online. Watch the trailer here.
Rebel with your wallet
From our Readers
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