Climate protesters march in New York to demand an end to fossil fuels

Ahead of UN meetings this week, thousands gathered in Midtown to demand that President Biden and other world leaders stop new oil and gas drilling.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tens of thousands of people, young and old, filled the streets of Midtown Manhattan under a blazing sun Sunday to demand that the World leaders are rapidly moving away from fossil fuels that are dangerously warming the Earth.

Their anger was sharply directed at President Biden, who is expected to arrive in New York on Sunday evening for several fundraisers this week and to speak before the United Nations General Assembly session begins. Tuesday.

“Biden, you should be afraid of us,” Emma Buretta, 17, a New York high school student and organizer of the Fridays for Future movement, shouted during of a rally before the march. "If you want our vote, if you don't want the blood of our generations on your hands, end fossil fuels."

The Biden administration has directed It is the most ambitious climate law in the United States and strives to transition the country to wind, solar and other renewable energy. But it also continued to approve permits for new oil and gas drilling, in most cases because it was required by law.

This highlighted anger of many traditional supporters of Mr. Biden. , as well as politicians on the left flank of the Democratic Party, who want him to declare a climate emergency and block all new fossil fuel production.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez, a New York Democrat, drew applause at the end of the march when she described climate action as "an electoral and popular force that cannot be ignored."

Scenes from Sunday's march, attended by tens of thousands of people.Credit...Sarah Blesener for The New York Times

While protesters suggested their support for Mr. Biden in 2024 would depend on more aggressive climate action, none of the Republican candidates vying to replace him plan to reduce the country's emissions and several want to encourage more drilling. The front-runner, former President Donald Trump, scoffs entirely at the idea that the planet is warming.

A White House spokesperson cited the last year's landmark climate law as evidence of Mr. Biden's action. commitment to fighting global warming. “President Biden has treated climate change as an emergency – the existential threat of our time – from day one,” the spokesperson said.

The protest of Sunday aimed at stopping fossil fuels has been suggested. a more focused target from climate advocates, increasingly frustrated by the continued expansion of drilling and mining. The industry has argued that emissions, not fuel, are the problem...