March for Climate, Communities, and our Oceans
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund
Photo: Climate Action Network/flickr
Hundreds of thousands around the world will gather and march to demand action on climate change this Saturday, April 29th. It’s a clear act of resistance against policies that put our future at risk. But it is also a groundswell that channels months of fear and opposition to a federal agenda that is rapidly becoming of the super-rich, by industry lobbyists, and for industry profits.
Meanwhile, journalists are reporting that President Trump is planning to sign an Executive Order this week to start rolling back the protections Americans secured for their Arctic and Atlantic oceans from oil and gas drilling and expand offshore drilling along all our coasts.
We will march to reject it.
Though the Order’s details are still obscure, any expansion of drilling off our coasts is too much. Offshore drilling puts at risk the livelihood of coastal communities, the delicate habitats of spectacular marine life, and our ability to combat the worst impacts of climate change.
We will march behind those peoples on the front line; those facing the worst of climate change and the destruction of their lands and waters for the fossil industries’ profits. And we’ll march for those in current and future generations who have little or no say in the activities that irreparably harm our planet and their communities.
We’re far from alone in standing to protect our oceans. The People’s Climate March will host a contingent of activists there to “resist corporate greed” and “demand an energy economy powered by and for the people.” But the “Reshapers of Power” is not a new group, simply a fresh banner. In the past, they’ve rallied under calls to “keep it in the ground” and “protect our coasts.” They’ve hit the streets by the thousands to urge leaders to help us break free from fossil fuels and signed petitions by the millions, calling for the protection of America’s publicly owned lands and waters. Congressmen, Senators, business leaders, representatives of communities of color, women’s groups, public health groups and nationally representative poll results have all said it over and over again: Americans don’t want more offshore drilling.
There’s a lot of momentum behind the movement to protect our lands and waters from the fossil fuel industries. But with their allies in power, we can’t afford to let momentum carry us. In just under 100 days, the Trump administration and its allies in Congress have made it clear that they prioritize profits over the public’s health, wellbeing, and future. So, we march.
Read the full article at: https://www.nrdc.org/experts/franz-matzner/march-climate-communities-and-our-oceans
