ITHACA, N.Y. — Millions of people across the globe are expected to take to the streets and strike Friday to draw attention to the international climate emergency. Many Ithacans are expected to join the strike at two events planned Friday.
The strike comes a few days ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York City, which is expected to bring leaders together to discuss concrete plans for addressing climate change. The strikes Friday are intended to disrupt business as usual because “our house is on fire. The climate crisis is an emergency but we’re not acting like it,” the organizing page states. Participants from more than 150 countries will be calling for an end to the age of fossil fuels.
Students from Ithaca College and Cornell University will begin marching down to the Ithaca Commons around 11 a.m. ahead of the Ithaca Global Climate Strike, organized by Sunrise Ithaca, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Bernie Milton Pavilion. There will be speakers, presentations, songs and a “space to build climate resiliency and climate action,” the Facebook event states.
• Related: Ithaca’s youth join global strike against climate inaction
Following the strike on the Ithaca Commons will be the Ithaca Climate Action rally on the shore of Cayuga Lake in Stewart Park hosted by the Paleontological Research Institution. Beginning at 3 p.m., speakers including local politicians, scientists, activists and students, will speak at the rally which is aiming to teach people how they can take individual and community action to combat climate change.
Speakers will include Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton; Tracy Mitrano, Democratic candidate for the NY-23 seat; Anne Armstrong, a doctoral student in Cornell’s Department of Natural Resources and an author of “Communicating Climate Change: a Guide for Educators”; Dayna Jorgenson, director of programs at the Cayuga Nature Center; and Louis Derry, a professor in the earth and atmospheric sciences department at Cornell.
There will also be entertainment from DJ Ziggy and Music for the Bahamas, featuring a benefit mini-concert with an opportunity to donate to the American Red Cross relief efforts for Hurricane Dorian.
The event at Stewart Park is hosted by PRI, which has been a leader in climate science education.
“PRI is the publisher of “The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change”, which has won national recognition. In conjunction with the publication of the Guide, PRI has undertaken a drive to fight climate-change denial propaganda by raising donations to distribute copies of the Guide free to every school in the United States,” PRI said in a news release.
After the rally from 6 to 8 p.m., there is a special cruise on Cayuga Lake hosted by Discover Cayuga Lake that will feature a discussion on climate change and local watersheds with Dr. Chuck Greene, professor of oceanography, earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell University. Discounted tickets are available for the cruise. Students can use the promo code “Student_Strike” for a free ticket. And adults and families can use the promo code, “Climate_Strike” for 50% off the ticket price. Tickets are available here.
The UN Climate Action Summit on Sept. 23 is intended to bring leaders from all sectors together to discuss “concrete, realistic plans” to address the global climate emergency before it’s too late. The Global Climate Strike is being led by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. With 2,500 events planned and participants from more than 150 countries, Friday may hold one of the largest environmental protests in history.
For more information about the Ithaca Global Climate Strike on the Ithaca Commons from noon to 2 p.m., click here. For more information about the Ithaca Climate Action Rally at Stewart Park, click here.