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Share International magazine January / February 2021

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• The path of Love and Peace
• Questions and answers - a selection
• Letters
• Spirituality – part two – An excerpt
• Maitreya’s Messages: What does He ask of us? – An excerpt
• From our own correspondents
• 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize
• Signs of the times
• Magazine subscriptions
• Previous issues
• Next update
• Remind me when this page is updated

Since the inception of Share International magazine, Benjamin Creme's Master has provided an article every month for very nearly 40 years. This article, written in 2006, deals with many themes one of which is the reassurance that man has never been alone and that there is guidance to be had if we want it. As if written in 2020 BC’s Master wrote: “Planet Earth, our home, must be nursed back to health: its air, soil and waters purified, made safe again for man. These are the urgent requirements for the stabilization of the planet and the health of its inhabitants.”

The path of Love and Peace

by the Master —, through Benjamin Creme

Fortunately for man, he is never left without help when it is needed. However difficult the circumstances, however great and grave the dangers which he faces, of one thing he can be sure: he will never be abandoned by his Elder Brothers. Time after time in men’s long history, when all seemed lost and the future of man perilously unsure, Our succour has been forthcoming and the forward path of men restored once more. So it is today at this tumultuous time when men stand in a maelstrom of warring forces, unsure of the next step and all but overwhelmed by the enormity of the task ahead.

Emerging from Our ancient retreats, We redirect Our thoughts and steps to aid Our struggling brothers. To show, by example, that all is not lost, that another, and better, way exists for men to organize their lives; that unity and happiness come from justice and freedom; that sharing is the natural action of unity and the simple answer to all man’s woes.

Men must desire the gift of Wisdom We have to give. The Great Law does not allow its imposition. Thus do men require to look clearly at the dangers which beset them, and so make their decision and choice.

That men need guidance is beyond dispute (though many would deny that this is so or possible to find) and this guidance will Maitreya, Himself, offer to men for their consideration and wise counsel.

Responding, men must see themselves as One. The old barriers to freedom and justice must be discarded; all must share in the Earth’s bounty; all must learn the language of trust. Planet Earth, our home, must be nursed back to health; its air, soil and waters purified, made safe again for man.

These are the urgent requirements for the stabilization of the planet and the health of its inhabitants. Once adopted, there will be no return to the disorder of the past. Man will part company with poverty and war, exploitation and cruelty, corruption and injustice. Men will emulate their Elder Brothers and walk the path of Love and Peace.

See this time as the time of Decision. All rests on man’s response to Maitreya’s counsel. We, your Elder Brothers, are neither anxious nor complacent. We know the enormous task that faces both Maitreya and men. We also know how to read the Signs of Life and are not afraid. Be you who read this not afraid but spread abroad the fact that the Restoration of Earth is at hand, that the iniquities of the past are fading, and with them the old ways of governance. A new Guidance is here to show the way for men, an ancient but ever new Guidance to take men to the Mountain Top. (SI, July/August 2006)

[This article from Share International magazine, January / February 2021, is by a senior member of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. His name, well-known in esoteric circles, is not yet being revealed. Benjamin Creme, a principal spokesman about the emergence of Maitreya, was in constant telepathic contact with this Master who dictated his article to him.]

(Read more articles by this Master)

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Questions and answers

At every lecture he gave around the world, and virtually every day of his life, Benjamin Creme was asked numerous questions covering a vast range of topics. We draw on this large recorded resource and publish answers provided by BC and his Master over the years, none of which have yet appeared in Share International.

Q. I want to talk about practicalities and logistics rather than miracles. How can we move trillions of tons of foodstuffs and water to the developing world; how can we actually move it from one part of world to the other?

A. The Masters have, through their agencies – disciples of the Masters, men and women of great experience in their own role in economics and administration – worked out over the years a number of interrelated plans, any one of which would solve the redistribution problems of the world. The world’s problem, the economic problem, is really a problem of distribution and redistribution. Nothing else.

The favourite way, and there are many different plans, but the favourite one of the Masters is this – we have not on the whole heard about it, but it would be this. A new United Nations agency would be set up, dealing only with distribution of resources under the jurisdiction of a Master (or at least what’s called a third-degree initiate, a quite evolved individual), to make sure it was done properly, without corruption and so on.

Then each nation would be asked to make an inventory of what it had created and what it had to import. In this way all this information would be fed into computers and the result would be that the world’s cake would be known – the size of the resources of the world and where they lay. [It would be known] which Nations were overburdened with this, and under-burdened by that, and so on, and then each nation would be asked to make over in trust for the world as a whole that which it had in excess of its need. So those great nations that had great excess would put more into the common kitty.

Q. How long would this take? What’s the timeframe?

A. As I understand it, for total complete enactment of this process, it would take about three years. So, in three years, the process of sharing the world’s resources could be commonplace.

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Rallying call!

It has come to our notice that more and more people are receiving our information from the website alone, and thus forgoing the small cost of subscribing to Share International magazine.

Not everyone can, or does, use the internet, and it is essential to have an outer, physical expression, which can display with photographs, the events of which we speak. That means there has to be a magazine, which of course requires a lot of work from volunteers, and a lot of money to produce. There may be a notion that Hierarchy dishes out money for this work, but it is not the case. Subscriptions to Share International are an essential part of maintaining our work and reaching the public. The cost of the subscription is kept as low as possible, the magazine is not subsidised by advertisements and printing and postal charges are mounting all the time.

Surely we would all agree that all those who seriously believe in this work would want to support the magazine, whether or not they read the information on the internet.

Thank you for your support.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The letters published here describe encounters and experiences some of which were confirmed by Benjamin Creme’s Master, while the more recent letters carry no such confirmation. It is the writers’ and the editors’ experience, based on familiarity with such occurrences, plus the writer’s own intuitive response, which gives them the confidence to judge these encounters to be significant and meaningful – both personally and generally. Some experiences seem specific to the individual concerned while others speak for themselves in providing hope and inspiration to all. We present them for your consideration.

Masterly magic

Dear Editor,
A few years ago [sent in 2006] I was driving in a car with my sister and my nephew, who was lying on the back seat. The weather was foggy and it was already dark. I was driving from Bresternica to Maribor. As I was driving on a part of a road which had a concrete wall or barrier on both sides, I saw a red car ahead passing another car and driving towards me. I hit the brakes and drove as close to the wall as I could. I thought the red car would hit me as the road was not wide enough for three cars. Everything happened really fast and all of a sudden I saw a red car behind me. The car had passed me but I don’t know how.

Could you please tell me if one of the Masters intervened?

M.K., Maribor, Slovenia.

(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirmed that the Master Jesus had intervened.)

Giving and forgiving

Dear Editor,
One day during the winter of 2005, I was walking towards the shopping centre nearby when a 50-year-old lady, clothed in a red baggy long coat asked me for 50 cents! At the time that small amount of money seemed so ridiculous, that I thought as I was looking for it that I would give her a bit more, as she would not go far with 50 cents! “Fifty cents, Madam, you’re so kind! Usually when I ask for 50 cents people don’t give me anything at all. They think I am rich, because I’m nicely dressed…But you’re so kind, your heart’s in the right place, one can sense that”! I was astounded! We were outside in the wind and she was congratulating me for 50 cents!

She carried on and told me that her life had been very difficult. She had been placed in the south of France at a man’s place who had abused her; her family had more or less abandoned her with her daughter, and she had had to flee to escape her jailer.

I tried to comfort her telling her that she should try to forgive, but that I understood her suffering. Then she said: “Oh, Madam, it’s our families that harm us… but you’re right, one needs to learn to forgive!”

I suggested that I could give her some clothes, as she seemed to lack of everything, her answer surprised me. She thanked me, but refused saying she did not need any clothes and that they would embarrass her more than anything else, as she lived in youth-hostels!

She had had tears in her eyes, when she talked about her family and, now her face was radiant!

Eventually we went our separate ways; I was under the impression that our conversation had been essential and I had been very touched. As she was leaving, she waved towards me saying: “goodbye”, with a high-pitched voice, which really contrasted with the seriousness of the conversation.

I am still pleased today to have met her. It was cold and dark, but my heart glowed with joy.

C.F., France

(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirmed that the ‘woman’ was the Master Jesus.)

Uplift

Dear Editor,
On a stormy Friday night in November 2004, I left work in the centre of Utrecht late. I walked to the bus stop to get a bus to the suburb where I park my car but, as I got to the stop, the bus driver shut the door and drove off. I was tired and this was just too much. I felt quite ‘floored’.

At that moment a red Opel Kadet (my family often jokes about this kind of car) drew up. The driver opened the window and said that he had seen the incident and asked if he could give me a lift. Without a moment’s hesitation I got in beside him – a builder in his work clothes. He told me that he drove that way every day; that he lived just round the corner. And we talked about how thoughtless most people are and how if people thought about the needs of others and had empathy there would be much less suffering.

That evening during supper, I told my children about this experience and it was really only because of their reaction (they were angry with me for getting into a car with a complete stranger) that I realized that it had been rather odd.

Was the ‘builder’ Maitreya and was that why I was so unafraid?

E.B., Blaricum, The Netherlands.

(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirmed that the ‘builder’ had been Maitreya, and that is why you were not afraid.)

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Spirituality – part two – An excerpt

by Benjamin Creme

In January 1982, as this magazine was launched, Benjamin Creme, the founding editor wrote this article. This is Part 2 of that article. It provides a unifying and far-ranging definition of spirituality, urgently needed today, since it holds the key to solving the many crises facing the world now. In it, he expands our understanding of spirituality and, in so doing, points the way forward for humanity. This new view of spirituality will, we hope, become the practical foundation for the new just world we need to create.

Only by a re-education of humanity into the knowledge of the true constitution of man as a threefold reality – spirit, soul and personality, and of the law of cause and effect in its relation to the law of rebirth, can a true expression on the physical plane of man as a soul take place.

This is the way into the future which will condition our new systems. Until we grasp that all people are divine we shall not be able to create institutions sufficiently responsive to the inner divinity without corrupting that divinity. The churches today, to a large extent, have corrupted the divinity of which they speak because they have become so dogmatic, so doctrinal, and so separative in that dogma and doctrine, that they have lost the tolerance, the sense of goodwill, of brotherhood, which should be the basis of the religious notion of God: a common Fatherhood and therefore the fraternity of all men. When this is applied to the political field our system will reflect that reality.

Likewise, in the economic sphere, we must institute the principle whereby all peoples everywhere can share together the goods of the earth. The greatest division in the world today is the economic disparity between North and South – between the industrialized nations and the Third World. One third of the world, the developed world, usurps and wastes three quarters of the world’s food and at least eighty per cent of the world’s resources and energy, while the Third World makes do with one quarter of the world’s food and twenty per cent of the world’s resources and energy. The tensions inherent in this imbalance are driving us inexorably to chaos. These are the central findings of the Brandt Commission [1980]. Their report, North-South: A Programme For Survival, shows a recognition of the dangers inherent in this condition of imbalance. Until all men everywhere can eat and live freely, as fully accepted members of the human family, there will be no justice in the world. While there is no justice there will be no true peace; if there is no true peace in the world today there is no future for the world.

And so we are now facing a crisis which is essentially spiritual but which is working out in the political and economic field. Hence the Christ’s decision to work within the sphere of politics and economics, and hence His emphasis of the principle of sharing, which He has said is the key to all future progress for man: “When you share you recognize God in your brother”. Sharing is a divine principle, and until we recognize that all structures must reflect that inner divinity we shall not make one further step in our evolutionary journey. But as soon as we do realise it we shall open the door into an entirely new situation.

There is a wonderful statement by that great Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca about the ending of hunger: “The day that hunger is eradicated from the earth there will be the greatest spiritual explosion the world has ever known. Humanity cannot imagine the joy that will burst into the world on the day of that great revolution.”

That may seem a very ambitious statement but it is a recognition, I believe, that the eradication of hunger, in a world of plenty, is the first step for humanity into its divinity, because it is the first step into right relationship of man to man. As soon as we recognize that we are one, and begin to share the resources of the world among all peoples, we take the first step into becoming gods.

Therein lies the essential spirituality of the new economic structures which have to be based on sharing because they have to be based on man’s divinity. Sharing is a divine activity and goes further than the distribution of the world’s resources: we all share our divinity. We are really one on every level — physical, emotional, mental, intuitional and social. On all these levels sharing can take place….

Politics, economics, science, culture, education, will soon be fundamental spiritual endeavours of humanity, embodying every aspect of the spiritual life. The religious groups, the so-called spiritual new-age groups, do not have a monopoly of spirituality. In fact, the Master DK has said that the so-called esoteric and occult groups are the most ‘glamoured’[deluded] of all the groups. I have also found them to be the least effective. The real changes in the world, the real shifts in consciousness, are being made on the political and economic front. And it is through political and economic change that all the structures will be rebuilt which will allow the spirituality inherent in all peoples to be reflected.

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Journalist Patricia Pitchon reflects on the appeal Maitreya makes through His Messages

Maitreya’s Messages: What does He ask of us? (an excerpt)

by Patricia Pitchon

From 6 September 1977 until 27 May 1982 Benjamin Creme received a total of 140 messages from Maitreya during his weekly lectures at Friends House in London, through a process of mental overshadowing.

Too often, we ask much of spiritual teachers and guides, or of whatever divine power we may believe in, but how often do we think of and implement, however imperfectly, what is asked of us? Our excuses to ourselves range from “That is too difficult, why should I even try?” to “Oh yes, I will try that sometime”, and then the intention slips away.

Maitreya’s Messages have some unique characteristics. Each one has a certain declamatory style, full of gravitas, yet there is often a direct, almost intimate approach and a simplicity entirely devoid of pomposity.

In His first message, Maitreya addresses people as, “My brothers and sisters” and also as “My children, My friends”. He also tells us: “My manifestation is complete and accomplished. I am, verily, in the world.” He adds: “But there is much to do, much that needs changing in the world. Many hunger and die, many suffer needlessly”. And further: “I come to change all that; to show you the way forward – into a simpler, saner, happier life – together. No longer man against man, nation against nation, but together, as brothers, shall we go forth into the New Country.”

In His second message He speaks of “food which lies rotting in the storehouses of the world” and He offers His help to us as “Teacher, Protector, Friend and Guide”. Here also, Maitreya announces that the Masters who work with Him, The Masters of Wisdom, are also among us, and He asks us directly: “Help them in Their Work”. He explains: “Know, too, that They are building the New Age, through you”.

However, this does not happen by itself. When even a few gather together and begin to work for others – motivated by service rather than profit, personal ambition or a misplaced competitive rather than a co-operative spirit, answering the basic needs that enable men to live, to hope, to thrive – the Masters augment our efforts by sending Their energy. … Most urgent is the access to enough food and water, as well as shelter; but also help with education and training, which can take many forms, access to medical help, and even programs that enable people to meet, to talk, to share a meal and simply enjoy companionship. These efforts often develop into broader community efforts which, in turn, if successful, become blueprints which inspire others. Many people are stretching themselves beyond their own circle at this time, and the results, whether grand due to very generous donations or developing from modest beginnings, are bringing joy and genuine relief, even in the middle of a serious global pandemic.

So the task of salvation is evidently a collective and co-operative one, not one that Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom will accomplish on Their own. This aspect may be difficult to accept for those awaiting a Saviour who will save us single-handedly. The realization that we must help and act together for change to happen and for the creation of that “New Country” is indeed sobering….

Just how much responsibility rests on our shoulders is something Maitreya clarifies in His third message: “Mine is the task to lead and guide, but you, willingly, must follow. Otherwise, I can do nothing. My hands are tied by Law. The decision rests with mankind.”….

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From our own correspondents

Maitreya’s approach to humanity — part one

by Alexander Douwes Dekker

(a brief excerpt)

The Tibetan Master, the Master Djwhal Khul, chronicled the movement of humanity towards the Spiritual Hierarchy of Masters and the movement of the Spiritual Hierarchy towards humanity. In co-operation with His amanuensis, Alice A. Bailey, He wrote: “For some time, ever since 1425 AD, … the Hierarchy has been aware that the time would come when this projected move would take place. Preparations have gone steadily forward. A point to be remembered is that this impulsed intention (emanating in the first place from Shamballa) came as a major disturbance to the rhythm of many tens of thousands of years; it has been a basic conditioning factor.” (The Externalisation of the Hierarchy)

Mindful of the Plan of the Logos and the incoming Age of Aquarius, our Elder Brothers, the Masters of Wisdom, have been preparing Their return to the everyday world since that date. Given the pervasive divisiveness within humanity, permission was asked at the Centennial Conference of 1425 AD for the inflow of the Shamballa force, to instil a trend towards fusion and integration in the political, religious and cultural affairs of men. It is imperative to the Externalisation of the Hierarchy that humanity develops unity in diversity.

During the 15th and 16th centuries the Renaissance flowered in Christian Europe as well as the Muslim world; in Mughal India and Ming China, trade, the arts and sciences flourished once again due to the re-establishment of the Silk Road and a general revival of civilization and culture. Men and women like Admiral Zheng He, Joan of Arc, Kabir and Leonardo da Vinci not only explored the world and human nature but pioneered new understandings of human divinity, inspired by the Masters of Wisdom. Towards the end of the 16th century, the first faint signs of a trend towards fusion were becoming visible in places like Mughal India under Akbar the Great, and with emerging global trade between the Spanish Empire and Ming China after the discovery of the Americas. The 17th and 18th centuries saw this new dynamic slowly picking up momentum as the energies of Pisces began their withdrawal and the Aquarian dispensation gradually entered.

First direct contact

During the Enlightenment, a Master of Wisdom moved in the public eye by visiting the various courts of Europe. A mysterious figure, commonly known as the Comte de Saint Germain, became the centre of attention among the nobility and royalty, because of His manifest abilities as an alchemist, painter, musician and philosopher who spoke many languages and because of His shrouded ‘ancestry’. Thus, the acting Lord of Civilization for the Age of Aquarius, the Master Rakoczi presented Himself at a time when a more humanitarian and scientific view of life was beginning to take hold (Maitreya’s Mission Volume Three, p.70), leading up to the Aquarian ideal: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity (as imperfectly expressed during the French revolution).

A disciple of the Lord Maitreya, Master R., was both admired and reviled by many contemporaries who would tend to see Him either as a divine alchemist, artist and philosopher, or as an adventurer and a fraud. He inspired many of the modern inventions, such as railroads, gas and electricity. By the time “the Count” (as He was known within the Lodge of Masters, the Spiritual Hierarchy) was leaving the scene, the Western world was moving into an Age of Revolutions, beginning with the American and French revolutions, and the first Industrial Revolution in Britain….

A disciple’s responsibility in crucial times

by Anne Marie Kvernevik

(An excerpt)

Planet Earth is at present the arena for great change, hopefully for the better. This expected change is due to the planet having entered the new age, the Age of Aquarius, and the new energies of synthesis, peace and equilibrium coming into the world. The Masters of Wisdom have for a long time (from a human perspective) prepared humanity and the disciples in the world for this change and for the changes disciples must make in order to adjust to the new age energies and to increase spiritual tension. In this way, they help bring about the circumstances in which the World Teacher, Maitreya, and the Masters of Wisdom can work openly in the physical world. This is a crucial time for our planet– a transition period to world justice, co-operation and peace.

This series of articles presents one view of a disciple’s responsibility in a time of great change and upheaval. This article describes the present world situation and the Masters’ analysis and guidance when in crisis….The focus will also be on the disciple’s responsibility for upholding spiritual tension, their challenges and important goals for change in order to express the energies of Aquarius. In this way the disciple makes herself/himself of service to Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom for their open mission on our planet.

The present world situation – the Masters’ advice for times of crisis

Surely 2020 provided humanity with enough food for thought to bring about radical change? The critical situation in the world on all fronts (wars, economic and social injustice, terrorism, famine and resulting deaths; the refugee crisis with millions of people marginalised, abused and ignored; pollution resulting in grave climate change, and now the Covid-19 pandemic causing many deaths and a potential stock market and economic crash) is a situation which, it is hoped, will be a turning point for humanity and the planet.

The following quotation from the Master Djwhal Khul (the Master DK) shows His advice to disciples when in crisis: “It is necessary for working disciples.... to appreciate the immediate emergency. The crisis must be viewed in terms of opportunity and not in terms of cataclysm or catastrophe. The objective is that the soul may assume an increasing control over the form aspect and manifest the nature of the soul, which is love and the will-to-good. …”

[Alice A. Bailey: Discipleship in the New Age, Volume One.]

The spiritual in modern art – part one

by Corné Quartel

(A brief excerpt)

When drink from a ‘Mondrian mug’ we usually don’t realize the spiritual meaning that the painting represented to Mondrian himself. When art images are so highly commercialized their meaning gets lost and we tend not to look further than their ‘celebrity’ status. If it is that famous, it must be good – a concept that has proved very successful in today’s market-driven contemporary art world.

It is quite extraordinary how little is known in the art world, let alone by the general public, about how at the beginning of the 20th century, the Ageless Wisdom Teachings, and Theosophy in particular, provided the inspirational drive and the philosophical framework for most pioneers of modern abstract art. To ‘drop a few names’, in painting: Mondrian, Kandinsky, Malevich, Klee, Kupka, Klint; in music: Scriabin and in poetry: T.S. Eliot, Yeats, among others. But, in the process of understanding art, or writing or teaching about art, surely it would make sense to also include the intentions of the artist? Generally, their intentions have been overlooked, not understood or deliberately omitted by art critics and art historians. Perhaps it was considered difficult to create an interested public for the art, or for the art critic. Perhaps it didn’t fit the history of art jargon that critics often seem so eager to demonstrate. Or perhaps they considered themselves too smart to live in the vague and scientifically unsubstantiated, or were afraid of being ridiculed. Hitherto, the emphasis has mainly been on the form aspect, at the expense of meaning, and therefore much of the art is not fully understood.

Early in the 20th century, Theosophy had the most profound effect on Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian, the main focus of this two part article. They are generally considered to be the founding fathers of modern art. There were other influences, such as the works of Edouard Schuré (who wrote The Great Initiates, 1889), Jakob Böhme, and Emmanuel Swedenborg, but it was in particular Madame Blavatsky’s major work, The Secret Doctrine that was a major influence on their thinking. “The Secret Doctrine with its doctrine of universal ‘brotherhood’, the study of ancient and modern religions, philosophies and sciences, and the investigation of the unexplained laws of nature and the psychical powers latent in humankind were not only timely in terms of a changing world, but unequivocally compelling to the artist as a seeker of Truth.” (K. Hall.) ….

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2020 Goldman Environmental Prize:

Six defenders of the Earth honoured – an excerpt

“This surreal time has revealed to us much about who we humans are, what our responsibilities are to each other, and what we must do differently in order to protect the most vulnerable – whether the threat is a pandemic, pollution, drought, fires, flooding, you name it.”

So said actress Sigourney Weaver, who hosted the 2020 Goldman Environmental Prize awards, held virtually for the first time, in November 2020. Weaver continued: “We are literally turning the Earth into a planet we can’t live on. No better time, then, than now to listen to these six brave trailblazers [Goldman Prize winners]. We can count on them to re-orient us…. and put us on a new course that puts people, wildlife and our beloved planet first.”

Awarded annually to environmental heroes from each of the world’s six inhabited continental regions, the prize honors the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists from around the world, while inspiring people everywhere to take action to protect the planet. Since its founding in 1990, the award has recognized 200 environmentalists from 90 countries. This year’s honourees – from Mexico, The Bahamas, Ecuador, Myanmar, Ghana and France – each receive financial support to continue their environmental work.

Their work included taking on powerful multinationals like Monsanto, taking a stand against polluting industries such as coal-mining and ensuring the protection of parts of the Amazon…..

• Indigenous Mayan beekeeper defeats Monsanto
• Youth-led movement bans single-use plastic in The Bahamas
• Saving 500,000 acres of the Amazon rainforest
• 1.3 million-acre peace park established in Myanmar
• Preventing coal power plants in Ghana
• Blocking financing for the coal industry in France

Lucie Pinson, France – Nearly half of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions, as well as many other harmful toxins, come from burning coal. Yet new coal projects are still being approved, all of them reliant on financing from banks and investors. France’s three largest banks gave out more than $32 billion in loans to coal companies between 2007 and 2013.

Lucie Pinson, a French climate activist, used a multifaceted approach to persuade French banks to stop investing in coal. As a campaigner for the Sunrise Movement, she and her team threatened the banks’ reputations through media campaigns, and handed out flyers to bank customers. Pinson cultivated relationships with journalists, making clear to them the links between French finance and coal through documentation. She also worked from within, purchasing shares in the banks so she could attend shareholder meetings and develop relationships with professionals within the banks.

Her work was fruitful. By 2017, none of the French banks were financing new coal projects. With that done, she focused on insurers of banks with similar tactics. Now, 17 insurers and 22 global banks have ceased support of coal development. Pinson is now working to stop all financial institutions from investing in coal.

Pinson says: “This award, given to individuals, demonstrates that each of us can win the incremental victories necessary to win the climate war. Nothing is inevitable. We are not doomed to failure.” (Source: goldmanprize.org)