Declare Emergency Supporters Disrupt Traffic on 395
Kicking off a week of action, three supporters of Declare Emergency have disrupted life in Washington DC in support of their demand that President Biden declare a climate emergency and halt all fossil fuel extraction/infrastructure on Federal and Indigenous lands.
At around 7:30 AM today, three ordinary citizens entered the intersection of New York Ave and 395 in the Mount Vernon Triangle, got into position for disruption, and sat on the road. They were displaying Declare Emergency banners and have sent video messages to explain their actions.
Speaking from the intersection, Erica McCormick, 34, from Dayton, Ohio said:
I’m participating in this action because I’m sick of standing by waiting for our leaders to open their eyes and heed the warnings about the climate crisis. Our leaders are watching our world die and people struggle, but haven’t stepped up to address this impending disaster.
Also there, Laura Simon, 70, from Vermont said:
I have lobbied, wrote letters to the editor, marched and rallied for many decades. It is time to do something about the climate. According to the 2021 UN IPPC report it is certain that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. It is now or never to limit global warming.
Lauren Glass— one of the people arrested— said:
It’s my birthday this week—I’m turning 32. I shouldn’t have to be here; I should be out celebrating. But as a young person today, how can I celebrate a future that looks so bleak? How can I stand by while our leaders look away? Because the science is clear: we only have a few years left to keep the warming of our planet below catastrophic levels. So that’s why I’m here. I’m here today to call on President Biden to declare a climate emergency. I’m here to sound the alarm—and to call on you to join me.
The Declare Emergency campaign is calling on all of those whose futures are being destroyed, who are facing poverty and who are outraged at the prospect of continuing our dependence on fossil fuels to step up and take action, to sign up to join us in the streets. This is a climate emergency, and this is our responsibility to ourselves and people around the world.
ABOUT DECLARE EMERGENCY
Declare Emergency is a member of the A22 Network for Civil Resistance, an eleven-country coalition formed following the 1.2 degree Celsius increase in global average temperatures. Each member has a distinct policy demand from their respective governments. In the United States of America, Declare Emergency demands that President Biden declare a national climate emergency, and cease all extraction on federal and indigenous lands. https://www.declareemergency.org/
MEDIA CONTACTS
Nora Swisher (571) 432-6735
PHOTOS
All photos copyright Declare Emergency.
A22 NETWORK FOR CIVIL RESISTANCE
Media contacts and social media links for 11 International Campaigns
Read A22 Network’s Declaration on the Crisis