Atlanta Climate Activists Plan to "Put the City on Strike"

ATLANTA - Sept. 9, 2019 - PRLog -- On Friday, September 27, climate justice advocates in Atlanta are planning a protest to demand immediate regional action on the climate crisis. The event is being organized by a coalition that includes Earth Strike and Extinction Rebellion, in response to a global call for a General Workers' Climate Strike.

September 27 is the final day in a week of climate action called for by environmental groups in the International Climate Coalition. In Atlanta, this protest will represent the southeastern US culmination of what organizers expect will be a week of actions all over the country.

"Atlanta is a hub for this region, and we need to lead the way in climate justice," says Christine Baker, an organizer of Extinction Rebellion Atlanta. "Right now the city has a plan to be sustainable by 2035, but that's too little, too late. By 2035, island nations could be underwater, and climate refugees will be fleeing the Georgia coast. Climate refugees are already migrating from the global south, and we're responding with fascism and concentration camps. We need to treat climate like the emergency it is and take action much faster both to eliminate emissions and to build resilience for people who are migrating for survival."

Organizers say the goal of the action is to disrupt business as usual and demand a regional, coordinated response to the climate emergency. They also want to draw attention to the connection between corporations and climate. "Corporations are causing the problem, but poor people and workers are the ones who suffer the most," says Michelle Douglas, an organizer of Athens Earth Strike. A 2018 study found that 100 major corporations, most of them oil companies, cause 70% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions worldwide (https://b8f65cb373b1b7b15feb-c70d8ead6ced550b4d987d7c03fcdd1d.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/cms/reports/documents/000/002/327/original/Carbon-Majors-Report-2017.pdf?1499691240#page=8).

For the September 27 event, protesters plan to meet at the Buckhead MARTA station at 9:30 am. Organizers say they will "put the city on strike" by blocking Atlanta traffic with street festival activities including live music, food, and speakers. The event is planned to last all day.

Members of the coalition include southeast chapters of Extinction Rebellion, Earth Strike, Industrial Workers of the World, Democratic Socialists of America, 350.org, the Sunrise Movement, and the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign.