The climate emergency is here, and we know fossil fuels are the cause.
During the People vs. Fossil Fuels week of action in Washington, DC, many of CIEL’s US-based staff answered the call from Indigenous and frontline leaders for bold action to confront environmental racism and the climate emergency.
We joined thousands of Indigenous and frontline leaders, water protectors, land defenders, and activists from around the country who gathered in DC to demand an end to the fossil fuel era and the systemic racism that is both fueled by and perpetuates the fossil fuel economy. Over the course of the week, CIEL staff were among the over 600 people arrested.
The future of our planet is at stake. In addition to the devastating climate impacts, extracting, transporting, and burning fossil fuels violate human rights and Indigenous sovereignty.
Thousands showed up in front of the White House and Capitol this week to deliver clear messages to President Biden:
- He must keep his promises: honor the treaties and respect Indigenous sovereignty.
- He must revoke all fossil fuels permits: stop the pipelines, the fracking, the drilling, and the petrochemical and plastics production.
- It’s time to declare a climate emergency and dismantle the fossil fuel economy.
Below, CIEL’s staff share why they risked arrest during this week of action:
“While the promise of carbon capture, blue hydrogen, and other false solutions is illusory, the threats they pose are all too real. Sinking billions of dollars into new infrastructure that further entrenches the environmental injustice and systemic racism that underpin the fossil economy is a failure of leadership, a failure of vision, and a failure to deliver on one of the President’s most vital commitments. It’s time for President Biden to listen to his own Environmental Justice Advisory Council, listen to indigenous leaders, listen to frontline and fenceline communities, and end the carbon capture of climate policy.”
Carroll Muffett, President
“I joined 130+ water protectors risking arrest on Indigenous Peoples Day. As a settler on Piscataway and Anacostan land, I am answering the call from Indigenous and frontline communities to act to defend our lives in this climate emergency. We don’t have time for empty words, and Indigenous leadership is the way forward. This means no pipelines on stolen lands. Honoring the Treaties. Stopping Line 3 and all projects that violate the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Because our work does not end here. We will fight and show up for justice until all of us are free.“
Amanda Kistler, Vice President
“Fossil fuels (and the politicians that perpetuate their use) are killing people in frontline and fenceline communities, poisoning our water, and stealing the future from our children. We don’t have any more time to waste. I am proud to have been arrested in solidarity with Indigenous and frontline leaders, embodying our collective demands to President Joe Biden: honor your commitments to environmental justice and dismantle the racist fossil fuel economy.”
Lani Furbank, Staff Writer
“I am honored to have stood beside Indigenous leaders, pipeline fighters, water protectors, and other frontline activists to call for an end to the fossil fuel era. It’s time to usher in a more just, equitable, and sustainable future for all. We deserve a world where current and future generations everywhere can thrive in a livable climate.”
Taylor Black, Communications and Development Associate
“I am honored to have joined Indigenous and other frontline leaders, scientists, lawyers, and activists, young and old, standing in front of the White House this week to call for an end to fossil fuel production and environmental racism; to demand real climate solutions, not accounting tricks and delay tactics; to defend the water, the land, and our collective future. It is long past time for the United States to turn off the tap of fossil fuel subsidies, halt all new oil and gas extraction and infrastructure projects, both here at home and abroad, and invest in communities, in workers, and in a managed and equitable transition to a safer, more just, healthy, and fossil-free future. No more drilling, no more pipelines, no more climate destruction.”
Nikki Reisch, Director of the Climate & Energy Program
“Time is rapidly running out to act on this “code red for humanity.” In the face of the climate crisis we are called to stand up for the water, the land, and all life on this beautiful planet. The fossil fuel era must end.”
Dana Drugmand, Researcher
So far, the President’s actions speak for themselves — arresting hundreds of peaceful land and water protectors instead of taking bold steps to build back fossil-free. Despite demands from the unified voice of thousands — led by Indigenous Peoples, frontline communities, and scientists — President Biden has yet to stop dangerous fossil fuel projects like the Line 3 pipeline in Anishinaabe and Ojibwe territories and the Formosa Plastics plant in Saint James, Louisiana. And he has continued to issue permits for thousands of new oil and gas wells.
Time is running out. President Biden has the power to enact change with the stroke of a pen, and he must do so now before it’s too late.
The People vs. Fossil Fuels week of action is now over, but our work alongside Indigenous and frontline partners continues. To the Biden Administration: we will continue showing up until you deliver on your environmental justice promises.
Originally posted on October 15, 2021.