Regional Climate Rally to Mark Start of Global Summit

Activists from across the region will rally at Peekskill’s Riverfront Green Park Saturday afternoon in conjunction with the start of the Global Climate Summit in Paris.

“Our leaders still don’t get it, even after the two hottest years in history,” Rally organizer Lisa Moir said in a prepared statement. “While renewable energy has the potential to power a transition away from fossil fuels, they are green lighting projects like the fracked gas pipeline being built through our County Park right now.”

Spectra Energy, a Texas-based company, is expanding its Algonquin pipeline to carry fracked gas to New England and Canada.

Spectra’s work has been slowed in recent weeks by opposition from residents in Cortlandt.

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The rally, which is co-sponsored by Clearwater, NYPIRG, Sierra Club, Riverkeeper, and others, will feature author and law professor Zephyr Teachout and filmmaker Jon Bowermaster. Other speakers include County Legislator Catherine Borgia, and Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina.

The family-friendly event runs 1-3 p.m. It will include music by Mark Turk, Frank Gillen and others.

Cosponsors of the event include social justice, faith-based, environmental, and health organizations such as WESPAC, Clearwater, Community Watersheds Clean Water Coalition, Concerned Families of Westchester, Connie Hogarth Center, Dominican Sisters of Hope, Earth Guardians, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Food & Water Watch, Grassroots Environmental Education, Intergenerate, IPSEC, NYPIRG, Protect Orange County, Riverkeeper, ROAR, SAPE, SEnRG, Sierra Club Lower Hudson Group, Stop the Minisink Compressor Station, Universalist Unitarian Church of Westchester, and others.

Moir said some of the rally’s participants will be making a “climate pilgrimage” from Blue Mountain Reservation to Riverfront Green Park, underscoring their demand to stop the pipeline project.

Organizers have also made a connection between the Paris talks and Westchester County. French officials have forbidden street protests in light of the recent terror attack, and climate activists have urged others to turn out around the planet.

“We’ll be holding a moment of silence for our brothers and sisters in France. We stand with France as we stand with people around the planet,” Moir said. “We’re gathering for them and for the poorest amongst us, who are already suffering from climate change impacts. Super storms, droughts, and flooding affect impoverished people the most.”

“The solutions are obvious,” Moir added. “We need to keep most of the remaining fossil fuels in the ground, transition to 100% renewable energy, and make sure the poor have the resources they need to respond to the crisis. We can make this happen with enough voices united for change.”

PHOTOS: Sept. 30 protest against AIM/ credit: Erik McGregor