Climate protesters in New York and around the world send message to President Biden, UN: ‘end fossil fuels’
- Over 500 protests were planned globally and a turnout of more than a million people are expected during Climate Week when leaders meet at the UN assembly
- Many US protesters aimed their wrath at President Biden, urging him to stop new oil and gas projects, phase out current ones and declare a climate emergency
Tens of thousands of protesters kicked off “Climate Week” and filled the streets of New York, on Sunday ahead of the UN General Assembly this week, calling for President Joe Biden and world leaders to end fossil fuel use.
With parades, concerts, and banging drums, crowds in Midtown, Manhattan waved and yelled that the future and their lives depend on ending fossil fuels. They brandished signs that read “End Fossil Fuel Use” and “Fossil Fuels Kill” and “Declare a Climate Emergency.”
One man was dressed as a melting snowman warning of rising sea levels. The message was for world leaders to save the planet from the use of oil and gas believed to be driving a warming globe.
Sunday’s protests were part of a week-long international effort by Climate Group, a non-profit whose purpose is to drive climate change action and stop global warming, with more than 500 protests planned around the world.
We hold the power of the people, the power you need to win this election. If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels.
Many protesters aimed their wrath directly at US President Joe Biden, urging him to stop approving new oil and gas projects, phase out current ones and declare a climate emergency with larger executive powers.
“We hold the power of the people, the power you need to win this election,” 17-year-old Emma Buretta of Brooklyn and the youth protest group Fridays for Future said. “If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels.”
The March to End Fossil Fuels featured such politicians as Republican Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and actors Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon.