Why We Must Take Action.
The fight for people and planet has always been a challenge. And everyone at RAN — and everyone who has supported RAN over the past 40 years — takes that challenge very seriously. That is why we build long-term, strategic and effective campaigns that have made a real difference in the fight to keep forests standing, to preserve our climate, and to uphold human rights.
This past year has challenged the world to examine and reaffirm our shared fundamental values, such as freedom of speech, people over profit, and innate human rights. But regardless of who is in leadership, we here at Rainforest Action Network have our work cut out for us. The need to take decisive action to protect the future of the planet and defend human rights is more urgent than ever before.
As an organization focused on challenging corporate power, we are moving into the upcoming years in a strong position. Despite an unpredictable political environment in the regions where we work, our strategy and tactics in targeting multinational corporations will continue to effect radical systemic change.
RAN’s core mission, vision and strategy remain firmly rooted — to preserve forests, protect the climate, and uphold human rights in order to shift to a sustainable, people-centered economy. We will need that commitment and continuity as we face the scale of ecological and social crises being fueled by profit-driven interests. We are resolute in our commitment.
Looking Ahead
Here’s what we are confident we can achieve in collaboration with our partners and our Network in 2025:
Resourcing The Movement
Our grants program and partnerships will continue to support and fund the movement by supporting capacity building with Indigenous and frontline communities. Our Community Action Grants program has delivered more than $7 million in grants across 18 countries and we will continue to invest in these partnerships.
Changes in Policies and Practice
We will continue to strengthen supply chain policies and practices through campaigns, advocacy, and direct engagement. We will deploy campaign and engagement strategies to pressure banks, insurance companies, brands, traders, producers, and standard-setting bodies to adopt and implement ambitious policies.
Transparency & Accountability
We will continue to strengthen transparency and accountability around the money trails behind fossil fuels and forest-risk commodities. We will update, expand, promote, and increase the accessibility of our high integrity, open-source data on financial flows and policy assessments of key financial institutions and jurisdictions.
Financial Sector Reform
Our campaigns will continue to push for stronger financial sector policies and practices. We will pressure banks, investors, insurers, regulators, and standard-setting bodies to adopt ambitious policies and implement protocols to end financed nature-loss, restrict fossil fuel expansion and prevent rights abuses, while advocating for credible transition plans.
The Future We’re Fighting For
Scientific consensus has pegged 2030 as the deadline to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. We hear that alarm often, and it can feel overwhelming. But we can take action. We can prevent that temperature increase, taking clear and methodical steps to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. That’s why we must immediately transition away from fossil fuels and forest-risk commodities. In order to shift to a sustainable, people-centered economy, we need new, stringent, and enforceable corporate and financial policies — today.
Driving every component of this campaign work is our commitment to people power. After 40 years of impact, we know that creativity, integrity, and people power drive the success in all of our campaigns.
As activists and citizens concerned with our collective future, we are all too aware of the precariousness of our situation. Last year, we faced increasingly disastrous climate events around the world, and lived through the hottest year on record. But it is equally important to remember that there is still so much left to protect. There is so much to fight for.
