350 protest in front of the Calaca coal plant in 2009.
Photo: Agham Youth

350 Pilipinas was formally established as a registered organization in May 19, 2021.

We trace our organizational roots to the global 350.org founded by a group of university friends in the U.S. along with author Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first books on global warming for the general public in 2008.

They saw climate change as the most important issue facing humanity — but climate action was mired in politics and all but stalled. They didn’t know how to fix things, but they knew that one missing ingredient was a climate movement that reflected the scale of the crisis.

Human banner at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National
High School in Davao, 2013.

They started by organizing coordinated days of action that linked activists and organizations around the world, including the International Day of Climate Action in 2009, the Global Work Party in 2010, Moving Planet in 2011, and Climate Impacts Day in 2012.

In 2009, the grassroots organizing work on the lead-up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit played a role in establishing 350’s presence in the Philippines, coming from the different organizations and collectives that responded to the role of organizing climate actions as part of the International Day of Climate Action.

350 Pilipinas at the Global Power Shift
in Istanbul, Turkey 2013.

In June 2013, 350.org organized the Global Power Shift (GPS) which gathered 600 climate action advocates and leaders from different countries in Istanbul, Turkey for training, community-building, and strategizing with the intent of fostering a global network of youth climate activists supporting 350’s work.

Following the GPS the Filipino participants formalized 350.org’s campaigning presence in the Philippines, by holding a national climate convergence in Cebu City in 2014 which gathered youth advocates to organize collectives and run local campaigns in different parts of the archipelago.

350 Pilipinas consolidation meeting in Quezon City, 2016.

In 2016, the majority of these collectives were consolidated into 350 Pilipinas which operate in Metro Manila, by participating in national initiatives for climate action while at the same time supporting local community resistance to dirty energy projects, and community-led low-carbon initiatives.

350 Pilipinas volunteers at the Quezon Memorial Circle in 2016. Photo: Fread De Mesa

After 5 years of working together as a volunteer community that functions as a Philippines affiliate of 350.org, key volunteers decided to formalize itself as a registered organization in the Philippines in January 2021, by registering the name Tres Cinquenta Pilipinas as a legal non-stock, non-profit organization with the Securities and Exchange Commission.