Our 10 Principles

1. We are safe and nonviolent

Only through nonviolent action will we be able to build the mass participation necessary to achieve our goals. Violent action would turn the public against us and jeopardise our movement. We also...

2. We target coal and gas corporations and their enablers

We cannot change everything all at once, so we focus on the part of the system that is primarily driving the climate crisis: coal and gas corporations and their enablers, particularly their...

Stories are crucial for shaping what the public believes, and how our politicians act. Therefore, whoever controls the story has the greatest influence on public opinion, political action, and ultimately government policy...

4. We are disruptive

We often use disruptive protest to draw attention to injustices that may otherwise be ignored. It challenges our opponents’ moral legitimacy, tells a powerful story and creates a sense of urgency in...

5. We build momentum

Momentum is key to building our power to drive change. We need growing numbers of people, increasing skills and leadership, and the story of our movement becoming more widespread. Whenever we consider...

6. We are justice-centred and inclusive

We prioritise justice and inclusion through our actions in the world as well as our organisational culture and how we relate to each other. There is a strategic as well as a...

7. We help each other learn and grow

To grow a large, powerful social movement, we must meet people at their current level of understanding, build relationships of trust as we work together, and kindly challenge each other when we...

8. We encourage each other to take leadership

At Rising Tide, we believe that true leaders create more leaders, not followers, and that they empower rather than dominate. By valuing initiative, we aim to build a ‘leaderful’ movement, where the...

9. We prioritise community care

Community care is at the heart of a healthy social movement. Community care protects against stress, trauma, conflict and burnout, and nourishes people to remain involved. It also attracts new people because...

10. We embrace collective joy

We celebrate life and aim to bring fun and joy to our events and activities, recognising that this inspires, connects and sustains our movement. In these times of growing despair, embracing joy...