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Tens of thousands of people, spanning across different age groups, took to the streets of Midtown Manhattan on a sunny Sunday to demand urgent action from world leaders against the escalating threat of climate change, fueled by fossil fuels. Their anger was primarily directed at President Biden, who was scheduled to arrive in New York that night for a series of fundraisers and to address the United Nations General Assembly session starting on Tuesday.

During the rally before the march, Emma Buretta, a 17-year-old high school student from New York City and an organizer with the Fridays for Future movement, passionately called out President Biden, saying, “Biden, you should be scared of us. If you want our vote and want to avoid being responsible for the destruction of future generations, put an end to fossil fuels.”

While the Biden administration has made strides in passing ambitious climate legislation and transitioning the United States towards renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, their approval of permits for new oil and gas drilling has frustrated many of Biden’s traditional supporters. Members of the left-leaning Democratic Party have urged Biden to declare a climate emergency and halt any further production of fossil fuels.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, received applause from the protesters when she emphasized that climate action was a force that could not be ignored in both electoral and popular spheres.

Although the protesters indicated that their support for Biden in the 2024 elections would depend on more assertive climate action, none of the Republican candidates running to replace him have committed to reducing the country’s emissions. In fact, several candidates want to encourage more drilling. Former President Donald Trump, who is currently the frontrunner, dismisses the idea that the planet is experiencing global warming.

A spokesperson from the White House defended Biden’s commitment to fighting climate change, pointing to last year’s landmark climate law as evidence of his dedication to addressing the existential threat of climate change.

Sunday’s protest had a more specific focus on halting the use of fossil fuels, reflecting the growing frustration among climate advocates over the continuous expansion of drilling and mining. The industry argues that it is the emissions, not the fuel itself, that are the problem and claims that it can utilize emerging technology to capture and store carbon dioxide underground.

According to scientific models and projections by the International Energy Agency, countries must cease approving new oil, gas, and coal projects if the world hopes to adhere to safe levels of atmospheric warming.

Megan Bloomgren, a vice president at the American Petroleum Institute representing the oil and gas industry, expressed a shared sense of urgency in combating climate change but criticized the complete elimination of America’s energy options. She argued that it would lead to higher costs and less reliable energy while increasing dependence on unstable foreign regions.

The unexpected turnout in New York City took organizers by surprise and followed a weekend of climate protests across the globe. These demonstrations, which were the largest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, occurred as record-breaking heatwaves and profit surges for oil and gas companies raised concerns about the future of the planet.

Protesters from various walks of life flooded the streets of New York, with some arriving in wheelchairs and pushing strollers. Participants traveled from different parts of the country and the world, including scientists, healthcare workers, religious leaders, labor activists, and students. The diverse group brought homemade signs, banners, and even a banner from Boston illustrating the steady increase in global atmospheric temperature since the industrial age began.

Brenna Two Bears, a 28-year-old Indigenous activist whose family in Arizona experienced the devastating impacts of wildfires worsened by drought and heat, shared her reason for attending the march, stating, “I’m here today because we need to halt the extraction of Mother Earth’s natural resources for the sake of greed and the interests of billionaires and corporations worldwide.”

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland turned climate campaigner, passionately criticized the estimated $7 trillion in subsidies spent globally last year on oil and gas drilling, highlighting the irony of subsidizing industries that contribute to the destruction of the planet.

While the protest was intended to be nonviolent, climate demonstrations have become more confrontational over time, with activists resorting to actions like throwing pies, disrupting events, and physically attaching themselves to oil company buildings.

Protesters plan civil disobedience actions in Lower Manhattan for Monday. They voice particular grievances over this year’s U.N. climate negotiations being held in the United Arab Emirates, a major oil-producing state, and being overseen by the head of the Emirati state-owned oil company, ADNOC.

The organizers used Sunday’s event as an opportunity to send a strong message to President Biden, urging him to take more substantial action if he wants their votes in future elections.

Individuals like Rafael Chavez, who represents immigrant workers from Nuevo Labor in Newark, emphasized the vulnerability of their communities to climate impacts, stating that their people, including construction workers, agricultural workers, and those in warehouses are suffering due to the intensifying heat.

Daphne Frias, a 25-year-old climate activist, called on the United States and the Global North to take responsibility for the harm and pollution they have caused, urging them to lead the global effort to end the fossil fuel dependency.

While some protesters were filled with anger, others maintained a festive atmosphere. Michelle Joni, a 38-year-old from Brooklyn, brought a “dance hub,” a converted school bus adorned with Barbie heads, stickers, a couch, and a dance floor on the roof, to inject joy, connection, and energy into the fight against fossil fuels.

In conclusion, the massive protest in Midtown Manhattan called for urgent action against fossil fuels and demanded that President Biden take more assertive steps in combating climate change. Protesters expressed frustration over the approval of new oil and gas drilling permits, which has strained Biden’s relationship with his traditional supporters. The protest served as a powerful reminder that climate action cannot be ignored and highlighted the need for the United States and other nations to transition away from fossil fuels. In this context, an AI legalese decoder can assist by simplifying complex legal jargon related to climate legislation and providing accessible information to the public, empowering them to understand the legal framework and actively participate in the fight against climate change.

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