The 26th COP, or Conference of Parties, is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland from Nov. 1-12. Hundreds of climate activists converged outside the official meetings to demand climate action commensurate with the crisis. Many of those same activists had come to Washington D.C. the week of Oct. 11-15, and were joined by hundreds more outside the White House and Congress to demand immediate and meaningful climate action through the People vs Fossil Fuels.
Led by indigenous activists and other people of color, 655 people were arrested during nonviolent direct action as they sat in front of the White House and U.S. Capitol. Unscripted actions also took place including those at the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department, executive agencies that both have the power to stop fossil fuel projects such as the Line 3 tar sands pipeline by requiring an Environmental Impact Statement.
Between The Line’s Melinda Tuhus participated in the week of action, which included short testimonies delivered by frontline activists across from the White House. Sharon Lavigne, founder of the group RISE in St. James, Louisiana, one of the winners of this year’s Goldman Prize for Grassroots Environmental Courage, gave one such impassioned speech. Lavigne’s organization is fighting to stop Formosa Plastics from constructing a huge petrochemical plant in her community, which already hosts 12 other polluting industries. Plastic is derived from oil; hence the connection with the week of climate action. Her talk was interrupted at times by cheers from supporters as activists across the street at the White House fence were arrested in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.
For more information, visit Rise St. James at risestjames.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/risestjames.
