Congressional Baseball Game While the Planet Burns? Climate Activists Cry Foul and Plan Protest

On Thursday, July 28, dozens of activists from across the United States will lead peaceful acts of civil disobedience at the Congressional Baseball Game in response to Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and his Republican allies sabotaging historic federal climate legislation. Protestors will demand that President Biden and the Democrats step up to the plate immediately and start playing hardball- before it is game over for America's families and future. They must declare a climate emergency, leverage all their authority to get climate investments passed in Congress, and immediately stop approval of fossil fuel projects that exacerbate crippling heat waves and devastate Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities.

"While Indigenous communities suffer from drought, poisoned water ways and fires, congress continues to play games with our lives. We will not be complicit in our own demise," said Jennifer K. Falcon of Ikiya Collective, one of the organizers of the action. "The Black, Indigenous and low-income communities of the global majority who voted Biden into office are those most affected by the climate crisis. We suffer the most for his inaction on climate change, he must declare a climate emergency."

After months of Congressional stalemate, compounded by the recent Supreme Court decision gutting EPA's ability to reduce carbon emissions, climate activists nationwide are outraged and terrified. They cannot stand by while this once-in-a generation opportunity to head off climate disaster slips away. The upcoming "Now Or Never" action, organized by leading climate, justice and faith groups, will start with a rally outside the ballpark and continue with some participants engaging in nonviolent acts of civil disobedience.

"We refuse to watch politicians play baseball while the world burns. It's too late to pretend everything is okay. Heat waves are scorching huge swaths of Europe, China, North America literally as we speak" said Quentin Scott from CCAN Action Fund, one of the protest organizers. "Joe Manchin and the GOP are burning our future to make their polluter friends even richer. Democrats must do whatever it takes to overcome Republican obstruction or they risk losing an entire generation of young people, who are fast becoming disillusioned by our inability to address this existential crisis."

Thursday's action comes on the heels of dozens of Congressional and federal agency staff sitting in Chuck Schumer's office-and hundreds more circulating a letter-demanding he and President Biden declare a climate emergency, reopen stalled Senate climate negotiations, and leverage their authority to guarantee Manchin's vote on climate investments in reconciliation.

WHAT
GAME'S OVER: IT'S NOW OR NEVER ON CLIMATE - a direct action rally and peaceful civil disobedience.

WHEN
Thursday, July 28, 6:00 PM EDT

WHO
Activists and allied groups including Beyond Extreme Energy, CCAN Action Fund, Climate Hawks Vote,
Grace Lutheran Church, Green New Deal for VA, Ikiya Collective, Movement Catalyst, ShutdownDC, and
Third Act Virginia

WHERE
Nationals Park, 1500 S Capitol St SE, Washington, DC 20003