On Sunday, September 17th, more than 70,000 thousand people joined the streets of Midtown Manhattan to walk towards the headquarters of the UN. Among these people is a great number of young protesters, whose mindsets alternate between some anger against the inaction of the US government and hope for a better future.
The path of the protest is quite symbolic and meant to have impact. A few days later, on September 20th, leaders of the world attended the 77th General Assembly of the UN to discuss mainly the stakes of climate change and the outcomes on the life of billions of people around the world.
The revendications of the protesters are directly addressed to Biden’s policies. In early March, the U.S. administration approved a huge Alaska Oil project, and the public was unsure of the decision. Consequently, Biden canceled the last oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic Refuge in the beginning of September.
The youth tries to stay hopeful to fight their anxiety of the devastating progression of climate change.
At W 56th and Broadway, the « Youth Block » starts to congregate around 1pm. Behind cardboard signs, young protesters begin chanting : « Hey, hey, ho, ho, fossil fuels have got to go » or « The ocean are rising, so are we ».
While holding a sign « I didn’t vote for climate disaster », Jenna, 18, from New Jersey, explains why it’s important for her to be here today : « To come here and form big groups of people shows that we are committed and very strong together ». This feeling of unity is also mandatory to lead Biden’s administration to combat climate change. « I’m protesting in support of taking more action and making a change to the future of our planet » points out Tori, 18, a political science student at The New School in NYC.
Overall, the atmosphere is peaceful, even if anger is a feeling that a lot of protesters have in common. They are mad about the lack of government decisions, as well as the influence of major fossil fuels on Biden’s policies. However, they try to overcome this sentiment in order that the event can stay a vector of hope and of unity.
Twenty minutes into the march, an older woman stands out in the compact crowd. She raises her voice and keep shouting « Fuck Joe Biden ». She holds a sign with the same slogan. Around her, some faces begin to crinkle, and some people do not hesitate to tell her to « read the room ». On this sunny day in NYC, the time is not one of hate, but one of gathering in unity.
While being interviewed, the youth does not hesitate to show they are scared about the climate crisis. Nevertheless, fear is not always the dominant emotion. Jenna feels « very, very anxious, but [she] hope[s] that things can get better soon ». This hopeful sentiment is also shared by Alice, 17, a high-school student who is already fully involved in the cause : « Having these kind of protests can help believe that we could do something about it ! »
How are communities being affected ?
This summer was probably one of the worst in terms of the climate situation. A horrific amount of natural disasters has shaken the world. Sometimes, these tragedies happen far away from the U.S., sometimes leading Americans to fail to recognize the importance of the climate crisis on a global scale. Despite this mindset, these last years, America has undoubtedly been impacted, and it allows more and more people to focus their attention and their concerns on the topics of climate change and fossil fuels. This is the case for Jenna, who explains the situation in her city : « Just in Jersey City, it’s not great. There is a lot of smog caused by abandoned factories. The Hudson River is disgusting also. ». Same issue for Tori : « I’m from California, so I know people from the San Francisco area that have lost homes because of the fires. It is a very prevalent problem ».
Sometimes, in many aspects, the young interviewees are lucid about the stakes that come with the use of fossil fuels. For instance, Jenna goes further by saying : « The main issue is that many people in my area are working and are being employed by fossil fuels companies, so it’s a kind of double-edged sword ». According to PwC, an audit company, the oil and natural gas industry « supports 9.8 million jobs or 5.6 percent of total U.S. employment ». Clearly, this is a consequent number that must be considered when thinking about the importance of fossil fuels in American society.
Reassuring guiding lights give a helping hand to the youth
After three hours of walking, the crowd arrives at 55th St and 1st Ave. The volume of the chants and the sound of the drums reduces as the protesters closely watch the large broadcasting screens set up for the event. The screens display a rostrum where many speakers come one after the other to deliver their messages of hope and try to become the spokesperson of every protester in the crowd.
Vanessa Nakate harangues the masses from the tribune. With an unflinching gaze, the 26-year-old climate activist from Uganda, who became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, begs people to hear the concerns of « the communities that are on the front line of the climate change ». Furthermore, she gives the example of the recent tragedy in Libya, where a flood caused the death of over 12,000 people in early September.
The peak of the speeches begins when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comes on stage to deliver her discourse. Also known as AOC, the New-York Congress woman, card-carrying with the Democrat political party, does not hesitate to target Biden and his inaction to stop the progression of climate change : « We are demanding a change so that working people, get better jobs and lower bills under renewable energy economy. That is why we are here, to make sure that we achieve ! »
For Gabriela, a 20-year-old from Ecuador that came to study in the US, the presence of such a figure is really necessary for the promotion of the cause : « AOC stands for what she strongly believes in and has the power to make a change from the inside. It is amazing to see a latina woman (editor’s note : AOC is Puerto Rican) chasing her dreams and achieving them while having a strong sense of community and fairness to fight for and alongside her people. »
During the protest, Alice, the 17-year-old high-school girl from New Jersey, sums up well the ambivalent situation she is facing when processing the outcomes of climate change : « What’s the point of being anxious, anxiety does not do anything ! You can objectively see that it’s not going well but I think that I want to convince myself to stay hopeful ! »
It remains to be seen whether or not Joe Biden will share more often Alice’s observation and he, too, will « objectively see that it’s not going well » and act accordingly.
Thomas Dagnas
- New York City, NY (L'Å’il d'Assas)
Photoreporter : Benjamin Bony