‘March to End Fossil Fuels’ brings tens of thousands to Manhattan

Tens of thousands of protesters from around the world marched through downtown Manhattan over the weekend to call on the Biden administration to move away from fossil fuels and oil pipeline projects.

“I don't have a family of my own yet, but I worry for that,” Monet Paredes, who is part of a student group from Connecticut known as Fossil Fuel Free UConn, told Gothamist on Sunday. “I don't want to bring kids into a world where we have no future for them.”

This year’s “March to End Fossil Fuels” is the city’s first climate march since thousands crowded into Lower Manhattan — alongside activist Greta Thunberg — in 2019. Sunday’s demonstration in downtown Manhattan from Columbus Circle on Broadway is also occurring days before the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit.

The march is also occurring in tandem with other climate protests across the world, from Austria to the Philippines. In New York City, some protesters held signs as they marched through the borough that said "Climate emergency, act for our children" and "Their greed fuels our addiction.”

High profile climate activists, celebrities and public school students walked alongside one another.

“Save the planet!” Civil rights activist Cornel West tweeted alongside a video of him at the demonstration.

Another protester, Gladys Delgadillo, told Gothamist she is calling on federal leadership to help end a dependence on fossil fuels.

“We need President Biden to step up,” she said. “To rise to that challenge and commit to ending fossil fuels."

Earlier this year, New York became the first state to ban gas stoves. The move from Gov. Kathy Hochul is an attempt to reduce emissions from buildings and the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. The new measure will take effect in newly constructed buildings within the next six years.