By Xavier Guzman
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Approximately 100 people gathered at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Baltimore yesterday to raise awareness about climate change and to urge Congress to pass the so-called Green New Deal.
Protestors at the rally chanted, “When our planet’s under attack what do we do? Stand up, Fight back!”
The Sunrise Movement, a political activist group that focuses on stopping climate change, organized the event with hopes of educating youth groups about the consequences of living on a planet that may one day become inhabitable to humans.
The movement also wants local politicians, like U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, to become actively involved by signing The Green New Deal pledge.
“This means that he won’t take money from fossil fuel companies. It means he’ll support legislation that aligns with The Green New Deal’s goals,” said Sunrise Movement member Philip Merrick. “We’re also rallying for a Green New Deal for Baltimore, for Maryland, and for America.”
Led by U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, The Green New Deal is a proposal whose main focus is to combat climate change and promises lucrative employment for those who are employed in clean energy companies.
Plenty of studies show that the increase of greenhouse gas emissions continues to accelerate the rate of climate change and if politicians need to act, it should be sooner rather than later.
The New York Times recently reported on a study conducted by the United Nations Environment Program that shows that China and the United States, both considered to be the world’s biggest polluters, have failed to approve legislation that would slow down the rate of climate change. As a result, action would require slowing down carbon dioxide emissions at an even faster rate.
The United States pulled out of the Paris agreement in 2017 under the Trump administration.
Some protestors felt the need to voice their opinions and share their personal stories on the matter.
“I was in New Delhi, India, a few years ago for work” said protestor Sonia Shah. “The number of cars there has doubled since 2004. The air is literally brown,” “It is so toxic, that scientists can’t measure how bad it is because their scales don’t go high enough. Government authorities recently told school children they’re not to go to school because the air is too poisonous to breathe.”
Merrick held up a yellow sign that read, “11 years,” signifying that the world only has that much time left until the planet reaches its tipping point.
The United Nations General Assembly held a meeting last March confirming the study’s findings.
General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés said during a speech at the demonstration that 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted and 2 billion people are suffering of starvation. She also added that change starts by modifying normal eating habits to prevent famine from occurring.
Marvin Hayes, the program manager for Baltimore Compost Collective, proposed creative ways to create a more sustainable environment for future generations.
“I want mandatory recycling for Baltimore City,” he said during a speech at the rally. “I want to shut down the incinerators that we put in poor neighborhoods. Everybody knows that the wind doesn’t discriminate, so all of us are breathing in poisonous air. We have to stop burning trash in 2019. Compost is the alternative to trash incineration and if we compost instead of incinerate, we can create four times more jobs.”
Climate Change is causing extreme weather conditions to occur more frequently throughout the globe, scientists say.
“We have fires in California. We have water crises where people don’t even have clean water anymore and poor air quality,” said Towson University freshman Sarah Fishkind, who attended the event.
A study conducted by the National Climate Assessment found a direct correlation between greenhouse gas emissions and the rate of climate change. The study also found that the number of extreme weather-related events has increased and that these extreme weather events have been intensifying at a more frequent pace.
Protestors at the rally didn’t hold back their emotions, showing looks of disappointment with politicians. Protestors said politicians have already thrown in the towel, mentioning that coastal beaches along New York (Staten Island) are building a sea wall to accommodate for sea level rise.
To make a change, the rally’s message encouraged education of young people about climate change.
“Register to vote because your vote is your voice and it really matters and then you can vote in politicians that will vote ‘yes’ on The Green New Deal,” Fishkind said. “Then you can educate yourselves on the crisis and how it affects communities of color and indigenous people.”