Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice
21–27 September 2026
Divest from war – invest in a just transition
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPFUK) endorses the campaign being coordinated by the Climate Justice Coalition with actions being taken around the country and across the world for peace and climate justice. Below we share the key messages of the campaign which align closely with our commitment to disarmament, human rights and climate justice, conscious that these issues often have a disproportionate impact on women.
War and militarism are causing climate breakdown and consuming essential resources needed to address social, climate and ecological crises. Next to taking lives and devastating whole communities, the build-up and use of armed force destroy lands and ecosystems, polluting waters, soils and air, and leaving behind toxic remnants and unexploded weapons that cause harm to generations long after conflicts end.
The world’s militaries account for 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions: if they were a country, they would be the world’s fourth largest national emitter. And still, militaries remain exempt from global reporting and reduction agreements. Further, military industries depend on vast amounts of metals, minerals and fossil fuels; the US military is the single largest institutional fossil fuel consumer in the world. Indeed, fossil-energy fuels both wars and climate disaster – and the shareholders profiting from fossil fuel extraction are closely linked with those profiting from global arms, mining and tech industries. Together, they drive global violence and injustice.
But some people argue that militarism is part of the solution: that we need harder borders, more arms and bigger armies to cope with climate breakdown. They claim that war can be made green – but this is a false solution. Today’s escalation of armed, social and ecological harms shares systemic roots and must be tackled together.
And we do have alternatives that can both protect ourselves and the planet. It is vital that movements for peace, social and climate justice understand the connections between our causes and work together for a world that values the safety and well-being of everyone; foregrounding people and planet over power and profit. No climate justice without social justice and neither without demilitarisation!
Why now?
In September, world leaders will meet at the UN General Assembly — just six weeks before the UN Climate Conference COP31 in Türkiye. We are at a crossroads. 2026 must be a turning point for a just transition, for peace and for real democracy. Right now, powerful governments are sliding toward authoritarianism, engaging in brinkmanship and reversing decades of progress. Multilateral commitments to climate action as well as arms control and disarmament are being weakened or abandoned. Big business – including fossil fuel, arms, tech, mining and agrifood companies – and their lobbyists have more influence than the people. Frontline communities suffer the most – yet are shut out of the decisions that shape their lives. Leaders should take direction from communities, not corporations.
This year’s theme: Divest from War – Invest in The Just Transition!
Meanwhile, there always seems to be money for war. In 2025 global military spending rose for the 11th year in a row, reaching a record high of $2.88 trillion. NATO states are responsible for more than half of this spending – while the five biggest spenders globally include the US, China, Russia, Germany and India. Military spending is a significant driver of resource and energy use, and thus of carbon emissions.
2024 was also the hottest year on record, followed by more record temperatures and unprecedented forest fires, floods and extreme weather events in 2025 and 2026. Experts agree that we are looking to breach the 1.5 degree Celsius increase in global temperatures from pre-industrial levels by 2030. And yet, amid escalating climate change effects and their disastrous toll on social and economic well-being, governments across the globe are militarising at pace.
Over the last two years, a majority of NATO and EU states have committed to historic increases in military spending while gutting public funds for real climate and biodiversity action, overseas aid, social welfare, migrant justice, civil society and peace-building. This trend is echoed globally and, indeed, has global consequences for people and planetary health. If NATO states would meet the spending target of 5% of GDP accepted by almost all members at the June 2025 NATO Summit, they would divert $19 trillion to military build-up by 2030. Estimates suggest that this would generate an extra 2,760 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2) over the next five years – that is, more carbon emissions than the combined annual emissions of Brazil and Japan.
We need to invest in building a safer and fairer world in the long-term, rather than in fuelling armed violence, social disaster and climate breakdown. It is time to move the money from militarisation to just forms of social security and climate action. It is time to break the ties with military and fossil power, for the world’s wealthiest to reckon with colonialism and make progress on reparations for loss and damage. It is time to rally behind a system-wide, rapid and equitable transition toward just, truly sustainable and regenerative global and national economies and societies. A just transition leaves no one behind – including those caught up polluting industries, from arms to fossil fuels. Groups are welcome to focus on the linkages between peace and climate justice that are most important to them in their actions, but we invite people to unite behind a common demand to divest from war – invest in the just transition!
Key messages and demands 2026
➢ Reduce and redirect military spending to meet social and climate needs
➢ Stop global arms races
➢ Reinforce multilateral cooperation and promote disarmament and diplomacy over deterrence
➢ Refuse to let polluters and billionaires dictate our future
➢ Refuse to let states and corporations profit from war and genocide
➢ Draw the line against militarisation and eco-social destruction
➢ Demand demilitarised climate justice
➢ Demand common security and people and planetary well–being
➢ We demand a just transition away from armed, social and ecological violence
For more information on actions taking place across the country see: https://climatejustice.uk/better-future/
Global Week of Action for a Fossil-Free Future 2026 (14–20September) calls for collective action to end fossil fuels, coinciding with key summits like COP31 and the G20, urging movements to demand a just, funded transition to renewable energy.
From Belém to Antalya, peoples’ movements are rising up to end dirty energy and embark on a global just transition to a fossil-free future.
Our world is at a critical juncture, as our people and communities grapple with deepening crises: climate and ecological breakdown, escalating war and militarisation, rising food and energy prices. We have a window of opportunity to secure a safe and sustainable future – free from the tyranny of fossil fuel interests, with decent and dignified work for all – but that window is rapidly closing. Now more than ever, collective action is needed to achieve our vision of a just and equitable fossil-free world.