TML In the News

October 1, 2024

Militant Protests During Climate Week

All Out to Humanize the Natural and
Social Environment!

Montreal, September 27, 2024

As the United Nations General Assembly held its General Debate from September 24 to 30, thousands of protestors gathered in New York City during the UN's Climate Week September 22-29, to demand action to deal with the climate crisis.

Climate strike actions also took place in cities around the world starting on September 20, and continuing through the UN climate week.

In Bangladesh actions took place in the context of severe flooding taking place in recent weeks in the eastern regions of the country including in the capital Dhaka. The monsoon season in South Asia has caused severe flooding in many countries, especially Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

In New York city dozens of activists were arrested at a protest outside of Citibank's global headquarters where they were demanding the company divest from fossil fuels. Many activists from the U.S. Gulf Coast region spoke about the impact of Citibank-funded projects in their communities. "I am not even a teenager yet, and I have to fight for my life like many others my age," pointed out 12-year-old Kamea Ozane from southwest Louisiana. "I shouldn't have to do this. This is not right." Another activist said, "This is towards the end of this remarkable summer of heat. More than a thousand of us have gone to jail so far this summer. And the reason is because this building behind us is the headquarters of the largest funder of fossil fuel expansion on planet Earth. If there is a flood near you, if there is a fire near you, if you can't grow food anymore where you used to, if you're having to leave your home because the ocean is rising, if you're living through some heat wave where the temperature is going to 120 degrees, this building is a big reason why."

During Climate Week, across Quebec on September 27, Quebeckers responded to the call of the organization Pour la suite du monde (So that the World May Go On) and held actions in 17 communities calling for profound change to address the people's concerns about the environment and the need for decision-making power to be able to exercise control over their lives. These actions also marked five years since 500,000 people marched in Montreal to demand action on climate change.

In Quebec City, more than 1,000 people marched through the streets and rallied in front of the Quebec National Assembly. Post-secondary students from Ste-Foy and Garneau Cegeps had the day off to participate in the march while high school students skipped class to attend.

In Montreal, close to 3,000 people marched. An important contingent traveled 200 kilometres from the Petite-Nation area near Gatineau to take part. They represented the Regroupement de protection des lacs de Petite-Nation (RPLPN) who are opposed to the opening of an open pit graphite mine funded by tens of millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Defense and Natural Resources Canada.

The seriousness of the problems posed to humanity by climate change and the need to protect everyone from the effects of severe weather are driven home by catastrophic flooding in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia over the weekend of September 28 to 29 in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Many communities are said to have been "wiped off the map." More than 130 people have been killed, with hundreds more missing and 2 million people are without power. Aid is coming in from outside the region, including more than 700 Canadian lineworkers, including about 300 from Atlantic Canada, who have been deployed to assist in restoring power in North and South Carolina.

The North Carolina State Climate Office stated on September 30 that Hurricane Helene was a "monster storm" that was "close to a worst-case scenario for western North Carolina." It said, "Torrential rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Helene capped off three days of extreme, unrelenting precipitation, which left catastrophic flooding and unimaginable damage in our mountains and southern foothills," adding that "the full extent of this event will take years to document – not to mention, to recover from."