BP just posted US$3.2 billion in profits this quarter — more than double what it made in the same period last year. TotalEnergies? US$5.4 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone — while our analysis shows that oil and gas price spikes will likely cost ordinary households and businesses up to US$ 1 trillion by the end of the year if the war in South West Asia (Middle East) continues. These companies didn’t earn this. They extracted it — from a war, from a broken system, from us. While people are being killed in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and beyond, and families across the world choose between heating and eating, oil executives are doing just fine. But this is no surprise, it’s how a fossil fuel dependent system is supposed to work. The industry spends billions lobbying, buying political influence, and funding disinformation to keep us locked in. And it’s working… for them. Oil, gas and coal prices swing wildly with every war, every supply shock, every act of market speculation. And every time they rise, we all pay more. The knock-on effects touch everything. And when the climate crisis strikes — driven by the very same fossil fuels — it’s communities and governments that foot the bill for emergency response, rebuilding homes, overstretched hospitals. Those costs don’t appear on any company’s balance sheet. We pay, they profit. We can’t afford this anymore. Right now, people all around the world are dealing with sky-high energy bills and the growing devastation of extreme weather — floods, droughts, wildfires, heatwaves — at the same time. These are not separate crises. They share a common root: our dependence on fossil fuels. But we have a way out! ‘The lesson is clear: the less reliant we are on fossil fuels, the more protected ordinary people are from price shocks. Renewables have surged ahead as the cheapest option available, while fossil fuels have become a shock-prone liability. It’s time to make Big Oil pay and shift power back to the people.’ – Savio Carvalho, 350.org Head of Campaigns and Networks Renewable energy is now the cheapest source of electricity in history. The sun and the wind are free. Once built, they produce energy without fuel costs or sudden price spikes. In 2024 alone, renewables helped the world avoid US$467 billion in fossil fuel costs. What’s missing isn’t the technology — it’s the political will to choose people over polluters. That’s what The Great Power Shift is here to change. Today, we’re launching a flagship global campaign to end fossil fuel dependence and ensure affordable clean energy for all. We’re demanding that governments shift public money away from fossil fuels and into renewables, make fossil fuel companies pay their fair share through a permanent windfall tax, and invest in energy systems that deliver affordable, clean power for everyone. No family left in the dark. No community priced out of the clean energy future. Clean, affordable energy is not a privilege. It’s a right. And people aren’t waiting. From Tokyo to Brasília, from Paris to Nairobi, they’re already in the streets. The world is rising — here’s what’s happening: France — Activists took to the streets outside a TotalEnergies gas station in Paris with fake pumps pouring money straight into corporate pockets. The launch of Nos factures, leurs profits was timed to coincide with TotalEnergies’ Q1 results, demanding a permanent windfall tax, now. Action in a TotalEnergies petrol station in Paris (Photo credit: Rémy El Sibaïe/ 350.org) Japan — Activists gathered at the National Diet Building demanding the government end fossil fuel and nuclear subsidies and invest in energy efficiency and renewables. Japan’s clean energy future can’t wait. Action led by 350.org Japan in front the National Diet Building in Tokyo (Photo credit: 350.org Japan) Indonesia — A joint press conference and actions across three cities under the rallying cry Yang merusak, yang bayar — make them pay. Stop hiding the true cost of fossil fuels. Tax the windfall. Give the money back to the people. Action in front of an oil terminal in Lombok, Indonesia (Photo credit: Climate Rangers Nusa Tenggara Barat) Brazil — A giant electricity bill will land in front of the National Congress with a message that couldn’t be clearer: this is where your expensive and dirty electricity bill begins. The campaign: Isso é da Sua Conta demands cleaner, cheaper energy from every candidate this election. Activists protested in front of Congress with a big ‘expensive and dirty’ electricity bill in front of the National Congress in Brazil, demanding cleaner, cheaper energy from candidates (Photo credit: Jhaimes Sousa) South Africa — We launched the call for Free Basic Electricity Now, with webinar mobilizing communities ahead of local elections. The demand is clear: a guaranteed minimum so that no household is left in the dark simply because they can’t pay. Electricity is a right, not a luxury. Pacific & Caribbean — Communities gathered outside fossil fuel company HQs with banners reading They Profit = We Pay, demanding Australia stop extracting and start paying its fair share for a fossil-free Pacific future. Action in front of the Melbourne headquarters of BHP & Mitsubishi Alliance (Photo credit: Jacynta Fa’amau / 350.org) Türkiye — In Antalya, the host city of the COP31 UN climate talks, campaigners highlighted that the surge in oil and gas prices during the first 60 days of the Iran war has already cost ordinary households and businesses in the country an additional US$3 billion. The Geleceğe Güç Kat campaign is building a movement around community energy — because a just and affordable energy system is not a dream, it’s a plan. 350.org activists in Antalya calling on Türkiye, host of COP31, to lead on global climate action. (Photo credit: 350.org Türkiye) Canada — A digital action and webinar brought together powerhouse speakers and three concrete ways to demand that oil windfall profits get taxed and returned to Canadian families and communities. Earlier this month, we delivered a petition to authorities demanding a East West grid for clean energy access. Delivery of 350.org Canada petition with 34,000 signatures demanding public funds for the East West Grid in Ottawa (Photo credit: Kashmiri Kage) East Africa — A press conference demanding local governments ring-fence budgets for decentralized, affordable clean energy. Because Mustakabali wetu, mikononi mwetu — our future is in our hands. Follow 350 Africa on WhatsApp. 2026 must be the year of The Great Power Shift. From fossil fuel corporations to people. From prices that keep rising to clean energy that is stable and affordable. From a system built for the few to one that works for all of us. The technology is ready. The economics are clear. The justice behind it couldn’t be more obvious. All we need now is the political will — and enough people demanding it loud enough that governments can’t look away. Sign the petition. Join the movement. Shift the power → The post It’s time for The Great Power Shift! appeared first on 350.