The arrests come after millions in south-eastern states are affected by Hurricane Helene, which was made far more likely due to climate change, according to scientists.
Amid the buildup to a pivotal debate between US Vice-Presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz, protesters from the Sunrise Movement took part in a demonstration outside the headquarters of CBS News, which will be broadcasting tonight’s debate. On of the largest environmental protest movements in the United States, Sunrise activists blocked 57th Street in Manhatten. Posts on social media show placards calling for greater focus on the causes of climate change, including “Ask Vance about his Big Oil money” and “Big Oil Caused Hurricane Helene,” a reference to the devastating natural disaster affecting southern US States. In a press release, the movement confirmed that 6 activists had been arrested by the NYPD.
The protest came after the Sunrise Movement Twitter account this morning called the VP debate “crucial,” and insisted CBS “hold JD Vance—who wrote the foreword to Project 2025— accountable for his climate denialism,” referencing extreme-right Heritage Foundation’s proposed programme of government for a Republican administration. The Movement, which is broadly supporting a Harris-Walz victory in the election on November 5th, also condemned plans in “Trump and Vance’s” Project 2025 to dismantle the National Hurricane Center amid the backdrop of Hurricane Helene, labelling it a ‘very, very dangerous idea.’
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The recent Hurricane destroyed whole communities across six US states and resulted in over 130 deaths so far and 600 still missing, with the majority of casulities in North and South Carolina. Initial studies have already blamed human-caused climate change for dramatically increasing the amount of rainfall during the hurricane, resulting in far more extreme flooding events. A Rapid Attribution Study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that “climate change may have caused as much as 50% more rainfall during Hurricane Helene in some parts of Georgia and the Carolinas,” whilst, “the observed rainfall was made up to 20 times more likely in these areas because of global warming.”
President Biden’s administration has vowed to provide “every available resource, as fast as possible, to your communities, to rescue, recover, and to begin rebuilding.” USA Today are reporting that more than 3,300 federal workforce personnel have been deployed to support Hurricane Helene response efforts across the affected states.
Sunrise Movement has called for the VP candidates to be asked what they’d do to stop Hurricane Helene ‘becoming the new normal.’ Tune into the debate tonight to find out hat happens on CBSNews at 9pm ET, or 1am GMT.
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Get involved in the Sunrise Movement or donate here.
Find out more about similar groups in your country here.
Donate to the Harris-Walz Campaign to stop a disastrous second Trump Presidency here.
Learn more about Oath, an algorithm that tells you the smartest way to donate to Democrat campaigns across the US, here.
Read BlueTent’s recommendations of organisations to donate to to acheive Democrat victories and prevent Republicans stopping climate action, here.
Learn how to campaign for the Democratic Party and lobby for progressive environmental policies, here.
Read USAToday’s list of organisations you can donate to, to support victims of Hurricane Helene, here.
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