Thousands Fill the Streets of New York in the March to End Fossil Fuels
With the United Nations General Assembly set for this week as well as the 15th annual Climate Week, world leaders arrived in New York this weekend. To kick off such a big week, 75,000 climate change activists from all walks of life gathered on Sunday, September 17th, and participated in the March to End Fossil Fuels.
Protestors demanded President Biden and other world leaders put an end to oil and gas drilling. After the hottest summer on record—consisting of historic heatwaves in the US, Europe, and Asia, intensified by global warming—climate change activists have had enough. The March to End Fossil Fuels was not the only protest this weekend, with other protests held in Germany, England, Senegal, and South Korea, among other nations.
These protests are the largest since before the COVID-19 Pandemic, and they all carried the same message: to decrease fossil fuel emissions and increase the use of renewable energy sources. The burning of fossil fuels is the primary factor in climate change, and scientists are saying that in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, emissions must fall by 43% by 2030. The United Nations found countries are falling short of meeting existing climate targets and warned of a “rapidly narrowing window” to act.
While global warming is a worldwide issue that many nations are calling for action on, the March to End Fossil Fuels was directed primarily at Biden, who arrived in New York for the General Assembly Sunday night. Activists have grown exponentially frustrated by the expansion of drilling and mining for fossil fuels and want Biden to declare a climate emergency and block any new fossil fuel production.
Organizers of the protest are especially disappointed that Biden has not upheld his campaign promise to stop new drilling on federal land, especially after his approval of The Willow Project, which, according to the Biden administration, is expected to release 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollutants per year.
Many people spoke out against Biden, warning the president that their vote in the upcoming 2024 election depends on the action he takes to combat climate change. “Biden, you should be scared of us,” said Emma Burretta, a New York high school student and an organizer for the Fridays for Future movement. “If you want our votes, if you don’t want the blood of our generations to be on your hands, end fossil fuels.”
Another activist, Rafael Chavez, came from Newark with his group, Nuevo Labor. Nuevo Labor is a group that represents immigrant workers, many of whom are from Mexico and Central America. Chavez talked about how they are affected by climate change: “Our People are collapsing; you know, they work in construction, in agriculture, and even in warehouses.”
The White House released a statement coming to Biden’s defense, highlighting the work he has done to combat climate change such as recently canceling oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and designating millions of acres of land off-limits to oil and gas development.
"President Biden has treated climate change as an emergency—the existential threat of our time—since day one," a White House spokesperson said.
Most notably mentioned was the Inflation Reduction Act, which directed billions of dollars toward renewable energy and low-carbon energy incentives. Despite the efforts, however, the United States remains one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, which is where the issue lies for climate change activists.
The March for Fossil Fuels was concluded with a speech by New York Representative, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, where she was met with applause as she said, "We have to send a message that some of us are going to be living on, on this planet 30, 40, 50 years from now. And we will not take no for an answer."
The protest was deemed a nonviolent demonstration, however, protestors are becoming more confrontational as frustrations rise. Some threw pies at glass-covered paintings and some glued themselves to oil company buildings. As of 12 p.m. on Monday, September 19th, several protesters were arrested, and authorities have threatened to arrest more if they do not leave.
Many activists have shared they are willing to be arrested for the cause, with Jonathan Westin of the Climate Organizing Hub stating, "Civil disobedience means potentially risking arrest to call attention to the morality of funding the fossil fuel industry, contributing to climate change, which is already killing tens of thousands of people and will potentially kill millions more."
With Climate Week continuing through September 24th, there’s still time to join the cause and voice your concerns for our world’s future. Click here to see how you can get involved and attend demonstrations and spotlight speaker events.