Climate activists block the entrances of the U.N. to declare COP26 a failure
November 15, 2021
Contact: xrnyc_press@unitedrebellion.com
Climate activists block the entrances of the United Nations Headquarters to declare COP26 a failure
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New York, NY – At 9:20 am on the morning of November 15th, Extinction Rebellion activists blocked the entrances of the United Nations Headquarters with banners reading "Criminal Climate Betrayal" and “Climate Action Now.” The action comes days after the close of COP26, which failed to meet the urgency of the climate crisis and delayed consideration of bigger emission cuts until the end of 2022, "requesting" that governments come up with stronger pledges by that date.
"We've been down this road before. Pledges were made at COP21 in Paris six years ago but greenhouse gas levels have only risen since. The Glasgow Climate Pact is a death sentence. It fails to protect the nations and people who are already suffering from the climate crisis. Without drastic action such as stopping all new fossil fuel investments, world leaders are complicit in crimes against humanity," said Kerith Creo, a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion NYC.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in May that there must be no new oil, gas, or coal development if the world is to reach net zero by 2050. To keep average temperature rise below 1.5C compared to preindustrial levels in the short term, greenhouse gas emissions must decline by about 7% every year until 2030 -- faster than they fell in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At COP26, President Biden told the world that the United States will "lead by the power of our example" in reducing emissions. Yet just days after COP26, the Administration will be holding the U.S.'s largest offshore drilling auction, amounting to 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters accounts for 20% of energy-related U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Christina See, another spokesperson for the group said, “This Administration is far from being a climate leader and they need to stop gaslighting the public into believing that the government is actually doing enough to address the climate crisis. We are running out of time and the government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, and then enact wartime-level mobilization and overhaul of systems to restore a safe climate."
Photos and videos of the event can be found here.
Photos by adrianlchildress@gmail.com (top two) and jarrettrobertsonstudios@gmail.com (bottom)
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About Extinction Rebellion
Time has almost entirely run out to address the climate & ecological crisis, including the sixth mass extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices if rapid action is not taken.
Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.
Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:
1. Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2. Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.
4. Government must commit to a just transition in order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.
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