SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Climate campaigner Xiye Bastida holds a version of the Climate Clock--which shows the time remaining for policymakers to reduce emissions before the effects of the climate crisis become irreversible--in New York City's Union Square on April 19, 2021. (Photo: Timothy A. Clark/AFP via Getty Images)
'The Clock Is Ticking': 300,000+ Tell Biden to Act Boldly Ahead of Climate Summit
"We can no longer afford any further fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure, or false climate solutions that continue to prioritize profits over people."
Apr 21, 2021
As the world prepares to observe Earth Day and U.S. President Joe Biden gets set to host heads of state and government at the Leaders Summit on Climate Thursday, campaigners traveled from New York City to Washington, D.C. to demand Biden #BuildBackFossilFree by stopping all future fossil fuel expansion.
"We are fighting for our survival. President Biden must fulfill his promise to tackle climate change and environmental racism."
--Sharon Lavigne,
RISE St. James
Climate and environmental justice activists journeyed from Union Square in Manhattan to the White House in the nation's capital with a Climate Clock showing the time remaining for policymakers to reduce emissions before the effects of the climate crisis become irreversible, along with a petition led by 350.org and signed by more than 300,000 people demanding that Biden and other world leaders halt all new fossil fuel projects.
"I traveled from Cancer Alley to Washington, D.C. because our community is being poisoned by oil, gas, and petrochemical industries," said Sharon Lavigne, founder and director of RISE St. James in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
"We are fighting for our survival," Lavigne added. "President Biden must fulfill his promise to tackle climate change and environmental racism by revoking permits for Formosa Plastics' proposed petrochemical complex in St. James, and placing a moratorium on all new and expanding petrochemical plants."
Natalie Mebane, policy director at 350.org, noted in a statement that "on day one in office, Biden cancelled Keystone XL," TC Energy's tar sands oil pipeline. "Now he must do the same with Line 3, the Dakota Access pipeline, and all new fossil fuel projects."
"There can be no meaningful climate action if we don't keep all fossil fuels in the ground," asserted Mebane. "By doing so, Biden will show the world that the U.S. is serious about facing the climate crisis at scale and centering the communities most impacted."
Silas Neeland of the White Earth Nation said in a statement that "the Biden climate summit is a big opportunity for the administration to end all fossil fuel projects that threaten our sacred lands, Manoomin (wild rice), treaties, and waters."
"There is no such thing as safe fossil fuel pipelines--all pipelines leak--and there is no time left to delay on bold climate action to protect my community and communities around the U.S.," added Neeland.
In a statement, 350.org called on world leaders to "commit to bold, transformative climate ambition ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this November," a reference to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference.
"Biden and world governments must drastically increase emission reduction targets to limit global warming to 1.5degC," the group added. "To do that, they must keep fossil fuels in the ground, including by stopping all new fossil fuel projects."
After rejoining the Paris climate agreement earlier this year, Biden is now reportedly planning to commit the United States to a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by the end of the 2020s.
However, climate campaigners quickly countered that such a target isn't nearly ambitious enough to successfully address the climate emergency.
"A pledge to cut emissions 50% by 2030 simply isn't big enough to meet the massive scale of the climate emergency," said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
"Solving the climate crisis requires applying both science and equity," added Su. "On both counts, the U.S.--the largest historic polluter and one of the wealthiest nations--must do its fair share and cut domestic emissions by at least 70% by 2030."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
350.orgcenter for biological diversitycop26dakota access pipelinefossil fuelsindigenousjoe bidenkeystone xlline 3paris agreementwashington dc
As the world prepares to observe Earth Day and U.S. President Joe Biden gets set to host heads of state and government at the Leaders Summit on Climate Thursday, campaigners traveled from New York City to Washington, D.C. to demand Biden #BuildBackFossilFree by stopping all future fossil fuel expansion.
"We are fighting for our survival. President Biden must fulfill his promise to tackle climate change and environmental racism."
--Sharon Lavigne,
RISE St. James
Climate and environmental justice activists journeyed from Union Square in Manhattan to the White House in the nation's capital with a Climate Clock showing the time remaining for policymakers to reduce emissions before the effects of the climate crisis become irreversible, along with a petition led by 350.org and signed by more than 300,000 people demanding that Biden and other world leaders halt all new fossil fuel projects.
"I traveled from Cancer Alley to Washington, D.C. because our community is being poisoned by oil, gas, and petrochemical industries," said Sharon Lavigne, founder and director of RISE St. James in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
"We are fighting for our survival," Lavigne added. "President Biden must fulfill his promise to tackle climate change and environmental racism by revoking permits for Formosa Plastics' proposed petrochemical complex in St. James, and placing a moratorium on all new and expanding petrochemical plants."
Natalie Mebane, policy director at 350.org, noted in a statement that "on day one in office, Biden cancelled Keystone XL," TC Energy's tar sands oil pipeline. "Now he must do the same with Line 3, the Dakota Access pipeline, and all new fossil fuel projects."
"There can be no meaningful climate action if we don't keep all fossil fuels in the ground," asserted Mebane. "By doing so, Biden will show the world that the U.S. is serious about facing the climate crisis at scale and centering the communities most impacted."
Silas Neeland of the White Earth Nation said in a statement that "the Biden climate summit is a big opportunity for the administration to end all fossil fuel projects that threaten our sacred lands, Manoomin (wild rice), treaties, and waters."
"There is no such thing as safe fossil fuel pipelines--all pipelines leak--and there is no time left to delay on bold climate action to protect my community and communities around the U.S.," added Neeland.
In a statement, 350.org called on world leaders to "commit to bold, transformative climate ambition ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this November," a reference to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference.
"Biden and world governments must drastically increase emission reduction targets to limit global warming to 1.5degC," the group added. "To do that, they must keep fossil fuels in the ground, including by stopping all new fossil fuel projects."
After rejoining the Paris climate agreement earlier this year, Biden is now reportedly planning to commit the United States to a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by the end of the 2020s.
However, climate campaigners quickly countered that such a target isn't nearly ambitious enough to successfully address the climate emergency.
"A pledge to cut emissions 50% by 2030 simply isn't big enough to meet the massive scale of the climate emergency," said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
"Solving the climate crisis requires applying both science and equity," added Su. "On both counts, the U.S.--the largest historic polluter and one of the wealthiest nations--must do its fair share and cut domestic emissions by at least 70% by 2030."
As the world prepares to observe Earth Day and U.S. President Joe Biden gets set to host heads of state and government at the Leaders Summit on Climate Thursday, campaigners traveled from New York City to Washington, D.C. to demand Biden #BuildBackFossilFree by stopping all future fossil fuel expansion.
"We are fighting for our survival. President Biden must fulfill his promise to tackle climate change and environmental racism."
--Sharon Lavigne,
RISE St. James
Climate and environmental justice activists journeyed from Union Square in Manhattan to the White House in the nation's capital with a Climate Clock showing the time remaining for policymakers to reduce emissions before the effects of the climate crisis become irreversible, along with a petition led by 350.org and signed by more than 300,000 people demanding that Biden and other world leaders halt all new fossil fuel projects.
"I traveled from Cancer Alley to Washington, D.C. because our community is being poisoned by oil, gas, and petrochemical industries," said Sharon Lavigne, founder and director of RISE St. James in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
"We are fighting for our survival," Lavigne added. "President Biden must fulfill his promise to tackle climate change and environmental racism by revoking permits for Formosa Plastics' proposed petrochemical complex in St. James, and placing a moratorium on all new and expanding petrochemical plants."
Natalie Mebane, policy director at 350.org, noted in a statement that "on day one in office, Biden cancelled Keystone XL," TC Energy's tar sands oil pipeline. "Now he must do the same with Line 3, the Dakota Access pipeline, and all new fossil fuel projects."
"There can be no meaningful climate action if we don't keep all fossil fuels in the ground," asserted Mebane. "By doing so, Biden will show the world that the U.S. is serious about facing the climate crisis at scale and centering the communities most impacted."
Silas Neeland of the White Earth Nation said in a statement that "the Biden climate summit is a big opportunity for the administration to end all fossil fuel projects that threaten our sacred lands, Manoomin (wild rice), treaties, and waters."
"There is no such thing as safe fossil fuel pipelines--all pipelines leak--and there is no time left to delay on bold climate action to protect my community and communities around the U.S.," added Neeland.
In a statement, 350.org called on world leaders to "commit to bold, transformative climate ambition ahead of COP26 in Glasgow this November," a reference to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference.
"Biden and world governments must drastically increase emission reduction targets to limit global warming to 1.5degC," the group added. "To do that, they must keep fossil fuels in the ground, including by stopping all new fossil fuel projects."
After rejoining the Paris climate agreement earlier this year, Biden is now reportedly planning to commit the United States to a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 2005 levels by the end of the 2020s.
However, climate campaigners quickly countered that such a target isn't nearly ambitious enough to successfully address the climate emergency.
"A pledge to cut emissions 50% by 2030 simply isn't big enough to meet the massive scale of the climate emergency," said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.
"Solving the climate crisis requires applying both science and equity," added Su. "On both counts, the U.S.--the largest historic polluter and one of the wealthiest nations--must do its fair share and cut domestic emissions by at least 70% by 2030."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.