Editor’s Note: The excerpts below are from a press release about the youth-led civil disobedience at the climate protests in Washington, D.C., at the capitol on the last day of the climate protests. Contact: Jamie Henn, jamie@fossilfree.media, 415-601-9337 or Cassidy DiPaola, cassidy@stgresults.com, 401-441-7196 for the full release or for information
WASHINGTON, D.C. Under a banner declaring “We did not vote for fossil fuels,” Indigenous and youth climate activists led a march to the Capitol today for a mass civil disobedience action, demanding Congress and the Biden Administration take urgent action to stop all new fossil fuel projects and launch a just renewable energy revolution. 90 people were arrested on the fifth and final day of the “People vs. Fossil Fuels” mobilization, bringing the total arrested during the week of action to 655 . . . ”
[Below are quotes from some of the youth leaders:]
“I came here to stand with my people to give voice to future generations,” said 10-year old Love Hopkins of the Standing Rock Youth Council. Hopkins was part of a group of Indigenous youth runners who ran from Standing Rock to Washington, D.C. in 2016 when she was six years old. “For years the US government has been lying and giving false hopes to our First Nations people. We want answers and we want them now. If this is the land of the free and the land of opportunity, why can’t we have that? Why can’t we have clean drinking water?”. . .
“Biden promised, just like they’ve done in the past, to bring us to the table, but where’s our seat? We haven’t been heard, they haven’t listened,” said Isabelle Marie Knife, a 22-year old Indigenous youth leader from the fight against the Line 3 pipeline. “It takes youth to be on the frontlines to make our voices heard. . . . we’ve got a new generation coming and we’re not stopping. . . “
“Black and brown people voted in droves, young people voted in record numbers for a president who promised action on climate change. Now he has the power to revoke the permits for Line 3 and he has not. He has the power to stop DAPL and he has not. He has the power to revoke fossil fuel leases and he has not.”
In 2020, Native voters and Youth voters–majorities of whom rank climate action as a top concern–turned out at much higher rates than in 2016, and helped secure Biden’s margin of victory in key places. Analysis indicates that young voters were critical to Biden’s winning margins across the country, including in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and beyond. Meanwhile, Native voters heavily backed Biden in swing states like Wisconsin and Arizona. Now, as negotiations around the infrastructure bill drag on in Congress, Indigenous and youth climate organizations are showing an increasing level of frustration with Biden’s inability to deliver on his promise for bold action on climate, fossil fuels, environmental justice, and Indigenous rights. . .
“In November we made a choice to vote for a president who said that he would be the climate president, who said that he would stop pipelines, and right now we are seeing a betrayal from the White House and Congress. We need climate action now. We are out of time to address this issue,” said Zanagee Artis, the co-executive director of Zero Hour, a youth-led climate justice organization. “I campaigned for Biden. I called voters in Philadelphia. Black and brown people voted in droves, young people voted in record numbers for a president who promised action on climate change. Now he has the power to revoke the permits for Line 3 and he has not. He has the power to stop DAPL and he has not. He has the power to revoke fossil fuel leases and he has not.”
“I entered highschool earlier last month and I am here with other high schoolers. I have met an 8 year old who is here fighting,” said Mingyang Wei, 14-year old youth leader with Sunrise Movement DC. It is a shame we still have to be here. It is a disgrace. How has this been going on so long? It has been going on because corporate greed has taken priority over the value of people in this country. . . “
By refusing to stop major fossil fuel projects, President Biden has broken his promises to protect Indigenous rights, prioritize environmental justice, and fully address the climate crisis. New analysis from Oil Change International shows that if the Biden Administration moves ahead with 21 major fossil fuel infrastructure projects that are currently under federal review, it would be the emissions equivalent of adding 316 new coal-fired power plants — more than are currently operating in the United States. The total emissions from just these projects would represent 17% of total US greenhouse gas emissions in 2019.
As a result, future actions and engagement from the Build Back Fossil Free coalition will be announced soon.
Groups involved in Build Back Fossil Free coalition and the mobilization include Indigenous Environmental Network, Arm in Arm, Bold Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Climate Justice Alliance, Food and Water Watch, Fridays for Future USA, Friends of the Earth USA, Future Coalition, Global Exchange, Global Grassroots Justice Alliance, GreenFaith, Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, Honor the Earth NDN Collective, Oil Change International, Our Revolution, Power Shift Network, Presente, Pueblo Action Alliance, Rainforest Action Network, Seventh Generation, Sunrise Movement, Unitarian Universalist Mass Action, WildEarth Guardians, Zero Hour, and more.
