February, 11 2021, 11:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Liz Butler, Movement Catalyst, (202) 487-4908, lbutler@foe.org
Jennifer Falcon, Indigenous Environmental Network, (218) 760- 9958, jennifer@ienearth.org
Sharon Lavigne, RISE St. James, (225) 206-0900, sharonclavigne@gmail.com
Thousands of Activists Push Biden to End Fossil Fuel Era
"Build Back Fossil Free" Week of Action Spotlights Environmental Justice
WASHINGTON
Thousands of activists across the nation ran, rallied, and posted on social media as part of a week of action, calling on President Biden to Build Back Fossil Free.
Activists organized socially-distanced events from San Francisco to Standing Rock to St. James Parish, Louisiana, urging President Joe Biden to protect and invest in Black, Indigenous, Brown and working-class communities and to launch a national climate mobilization to end the era of fossil fuel production.
Photos from Build Back Fossil Free events across the country available here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vDzLB7kpwJuWrSWX6
The week of action was stewarded by the Build Back Fossil Free campaign, more than 200 groups representing millions of environmental, racial and economic justice advocates. They aim to hold President Joe Biden accountable to his promises for bold climate action.
The events demonstrated broad support for 25 specific executive actions Biden can take now to address the climate crisis and prioritize environmental justice. The campaign website awards partial credit to Biden for several steps he's taken so far, including canceling a key permit for the Keystone XL pipeline and halting new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters. Activists participating in the week of action drew attention to actions Biden has not yet taken, including rejecting all federal permits for fossil fuel and other climate-damaging infrastructure projects like the Line 3 and Dakota Access pipelines.
In Washington, activists rallied in front of the White House and at the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency with banners hoisted on balloons, posters plastered on lamp posts, and a massive digital ad. Their message plays on the administration's own mantra: If you want to "Build Back Better," they say, "you must "Build Back Fossil Free."
"We are out here today in DC to demand that Biden build back fossil free," said Liz Butler with Movement Catalyst. "People are calling for Biden to take immediate actions to end the era of fossil fuel production, including shutting down the Dakota Access Pipeline, stopping Line 3, and stopping the Formosa plastics plant. Communities across the country are counting on President Biden to take action."
On Tuesday, despite sub-zero temperatures, Indigenous youth launched a 93-mile run to the site of the Dakota Access pipeline, encouraging activists across the nation to run with them and post videos online.
"We did this for one simple reason: the Dakota Access pipeline is illegal. It was pushed on our community, ignoring our treaties, just like Line 3," said Jordin Sam, member of the Standing Rock Youth Council. "To build back fossil free, Biden must shut down the Dakota Access pipeline and stop Line 3."
On Wednesday, groups opposing Formosa Plastics' proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana, held demonstrations outside the Army Corps of Engineers office in New Orleans, at the project site in St. James, and in San Francisco, demanding that the project's federal permit be revoked. The groups delivered more than 5,500 opposition letters to the Corps, citing concerns over environmental justice, wetlands destruction, and pollution.
"We are calling on President Biden to stop Formosa Plastics," said Sharon Lavigne, president of RISE St. James. "Formosa would be a death sentence for St. James Parish. The Biden administration can uphold its promise to elevate environmental justice and protect our communities."
Organizers said they intend to continue pushing the Biden administration for further actions and executive orders to end the era of fossil fuels over the first 100 days of his administration.
The full set of executive action demands, as well as a list of over 200 organizations who support the demands, is available at www.buildbackfossilfree.org. The Build Back Fossil Free campaign builds on two detailed policy platforms: the #ClimatePresident Action Plan and the Frontlines Climate Justice Executive Action Platform. Together, they are supported by more than 500 leading climate, environmental, racial and economic justice, and youth organizations nationwide.
Established in 1990 within the United States, IEN was formed by grassroots Indigenous peoples and individuals to address environmental and economic justice issues (EJ). IEN's activities include building the capacity of Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.
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Rights Group Condemns Texas National Guard for Firing Pepper Balls at Migrants
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Human Rights Watch on Wednesday condemned the Texas National Guard for firing pepper-spray projectiles at migrants, including women and children, who've presented no danger, citing multiple recent incidents.
"In separate incidents this summer, witnesses saw Texas National Guard members firing pepper-spray projectiles at migrants who posed no risk to National Guard members or anyone else," Bob Libal, an HRW consultant, said in a statement.
New from @HRW and me: The TX Nat'l Guard has repeatedly fired pepper spray projectiles at arriving asylum-seekers, including women & children.
#TXLege should increase oversight of TX Military Dept & deny funding requests until this practice ends. 🧵https://t.co/AuXyAGcFbO
— Bob Libal (@blibal) September 25, 2024
Pepper-spray projectiles, which are often shaped like balls, contain chemical irritants similar to pepper spray. HRW documented several instances of their use by the Texas National Guard, which polices the border as part of Operation Lone Star, a right-wing state project that has already cost more than $11 billion and drawn opposition from rights advocates.
On September 7, a Texas National Guard member in a boat fired several projectiles at a migrant who had crossed onto the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, at Eagle Pass, Texas, according to three witnesses who watched from a park in Mexico. The migrant fell down, did not get up, and didn't receive aid, they told HRW.
"I saw a National Guardsman in the boat train his gun on the man and then he pepper balled him," said Josie Rodrigues, one of the witnesses, who is a resident of Eagle Pass. "He shot him four or five times. I saw the puffs of smoke and the man went down, and he didn't get up again. It looked to me like they were aiming at the person, not around him or at his feet. It was disturbing."
On August 5, a group of migrants, including children, alleged that projectiles were fired at them, causing their eyes to burn; U.S. Border Patrol said that the Texas National Guard was in control of the area where the incident occurred, according to HRW.
The Texas National Guard also fired pepper balls at a Venezuelan couple and their 1-year-old daughter in May, Newsweekreported, based on video from Border Report.
International human rights law has strict rules on the use of force—even sublethal force, as the projectiles are designed to be—by law enforcement.
"Chemical irritants should only be deployed where a law enforcement official has reason to believe there is an imminent threat of injury," according to United Nations' guidance.
HRW is calling for the state Legislature to deny additional funding to the Texas Military Department, which oversees the state's National Guard, until the use of projectiles against migrants ends. The funding was on the agenda at a budget meeting on Wednesday.
"The Texas Legislature should respond by increasing its oversight over the Texas Military Department and denying funding increases to the department until these abuses stop," Lidal said.
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He does have the backing of the United Auto Workers, which said in June, "It's time for labor to get behind candidates who look like us, talk like us, and know the issues facing working-class people."
Osborn began working as an industrial mechanic for a Kellogg's plant in 2004, and eventually rose to the presidency of his union local, Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 50G.
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The Fischer campaign and its supporters have taken notice of the senator's opponent as multiple polls have shown the two candidates neck-and-neck. Last month, Fischer was up by just one point, with 23% undecided.
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Osborn says in the ad that the Senate is made up of "millionaires controlled by billionaires."
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"This is definitely what we will see much more of in the future."
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The 36-page study, conducted by scientists affiliated with World Weather Attribution (WWA), looked at the causes of the extreme rain that peaked from September 12 until September 15. Called Storm Boris, it hit many countries including Poland, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and set off flooding that killed at least 24 people.
The authors, whose work wasn't peer reviewed, warned that Storm Boris was a sign of what's to come.
"This is definitely what we will see much more of in the future," Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at Imperial College London and co-author of the study, told the BBC.
"[It] is the absolute fingerprint signature of climate change... that records are broken by such a large margin."
The floods that killed 24 people in Central Europe were caused by rainfall made twice as likely and at least 7% heavier by climate change 📈🌧️
Floods will become more destructive and costly with further fossil fuel warming.
Our analysis was published this morning 🧵 https://t.co/0rJjYuYnUt
— World Weather Attribution (@WWAttribution) September 25, 2024
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The damage came partly from the fact that the storm lingered for many days, with rain falling on saturated ground and overflowing bodies of water. The WWA scientists didn't determine if the duration was affected by climate change; however, in general, the affect of climate change on the jet stream, which normally helps push weather patterns through the continent quickly, could play a role in causing storms to linger, experts say.
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The WWA study's key findings—a roughly twofold increase in the likelihood of Storm Boris and a 7% increase in intensity caused by climate change—may in fact be underestimates. The findings are "too conservative," the study says.
The analysis does contain good news: European authorities were more prepared for this storm than they had been in the past, likely saving dozens of lives.
Far more people died during extreme flooding episodes in the region in 1997 and 2002—more than 100, in each case—even though the rainfall in those events was less severe and didn't cover such a large area. Governments have since invested in forecasting, early warning systems, and flood defenses like levees. The city of Vienna has been particularly strong on flood preparations, and its investments paid off when Storm Boris did little damage there.
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