Thousands join ‘March to End Fossil Fuels’ in New York to demand climate action

On Sunday, thousands of individuals, frontline advocates, and environmental activists converged in New York City for the ‘March to End Fossil Fuels,’ marking the largest climate mobilization in the U.S. since the onset of the pandemic, as announced by the broad-based collaboration March to End Fossil Fuels.

The March to End Fossil Fuels calls for President Biden to halt all federal approvals for new fossil fuel projects, initiate the phasing out of fossil fuel production on public lands and waters, and officially declare a climate emergency.

Ahead of Sunday’s march, actors, activists, and climate leaders joined more than 700 organizations in sending a letter to Biden urging him to take action to end the use of fossil fuels. “The world is burning before our eyes in a record-breaking summer of extreme heat and climate disasters. Scientists around the world are gravely alarmed about how rapidly climate change is accelerating. The oceans are boiling, workers and poor communities, disproportionately Indigenous communities and people of color, are dying from extreme heat and dehydration, and floods and wildfires are raging across the planet,” the letter states.

The march comes ahead of the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, scheduled for September 20th in New York City. On Friday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan shared that President Biden is not currently slated to attend the summit.

Meanwhile, Berlin police reported on Sunday that individuals belonging to the ‘Last Generation’ group sprayed orange paint on the eastern pillars of the Brandenburg Gate and attempted to climb the building with a lifting platform. All 14 individuals involved were arrested on-site, and investigations into property damage were initiated.