Bicyclists shut down Interstate to demand ‘Climate Justice’, 1 arrest made

Asheville, NC (Friday August 25th, 2006) – Approximately 100 bicyclists took to the streets this afternoon to demand “climate justice” for communities such as New Orleans who are already suffering from the effects of a warming planet. The ride, organized in 30 different cities by Rising Tide North America, was held to draw attention to the links between fossil fuels, climate change, and destructive hurricanes. Bicyclists shut down Interstate to demand ‘Climate Justice’, 1 arrest made

Mass civil disobedience draws links between global warming and human rights on Katrina Anniversary

Asheville, NC (Friday August 25th, 2006) – Approximately 100 bicyclists took to the streets this afternoon to demand “climate justice” for communities such as New Orleans who are already suffering from the effects of a warming planet. The ride, organized in 30 different cities by Rising Tide North America, was held to draw attention to the links between fossil fuels, climate change, and destructive hurricanes.

After biking through downtown West Asheville the cyclists, carrying signs reading “Remember Katrina,” and “Cars Fuel Climate Change,” turned onto Patton Avenue and soon enough brought traffic to a standstill as they merged onto I-240/ I-26. “Some might say what we did today was drastic,” said Joe Rienhardt who was arrested at the end of the ride. “What could be more drastic then the potential deaths of tens of thousands of people, and massive extinction due to fossil fueled climate change. We need to be taking extreme actions every day in order to preserve our planet.”

Sporting "gas-free" bicycles, the riders highlighted the connection between the oil industry and the ongoing hardship in the Gulf Coast. "During Katrina, leaking oil refineries and petrochemical spills flooded residents yards," said Brian Fleming, a climate change activist with the Rising Tide North America, a group that helped organize the event. "Some of those same plants have been exposing people to toxic waste for years, leading to the creation of the infamous 'Cancer Alley' in southeastern Louisiana. We must recognize the role this industry has played in the Gulf Coast crisis and hold them accountable."

The ride was organized as a collaborative effort between the national climate change action group Rising Tide North America and the "Critical Mass" cyclist group. The demand of the ride is for "climate justice" – that society’s poor and vulnerable should not suffer the consequences of climate change disproportionately.

"Katrina was a stark example of how the impacts of our society's lifestyle fall hardest upon people of color and the poor," said Emily Hornback, a Rising Tide member. "Exxon-Mobile topped $10 billion dollars in profit in 2005 while people in New Orleans and in the surrounding areas still struggle to clean out toxic, oily mud from their homes. The oil elite profits from our reliance on fossil fuels while the vulnerable in our society suffer the consequences."

Activists chose August 25th, the date Katrina reached hurricane strength, to draw attention to recent studies linking global warming to increased hurricane intensity. A recent study by Kevin Trenberth and Dennis Shea of the National Center of Atmospheric Research found that global warming accounted for half of the extra hurricane-fueling warmth in the waters of the tropical North Atlantic in 2005. Natural cycles were found to be only a minor factor.

According to climate scientists we have only 6 years to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions before the effects of climate change become irreversible. “We felt like we had to up the ante for this ride,” said Becky Allen. “We are already feeling the effects of climate change. Nearly 30,000 people died in the European heat wave of 2003, which scientists say was exacerbated by climate change. Actions like this one today are a matter of self defense. The politicians aren’t doing anything. The corporations certainly aren’t. It is going to take citizen action to steer our society onto a sustainable path.”

"While you can’t point to any one hurricane and say, ‘climate change caused this’, there is no doubt that global warming is creating more hurricanes that are more severe. Katrina made the effects of climate change real," said Hornback. "We cannot ignore this problem anymore; we must take action now to address it or Katrina will be only the beginning."

Rising Tide North America works to support and encourage people and grassroots groups in taking action against the causes of climate change. www.RisingTideNorthAmerica.org. Critical Mass is a worldwide movement of cyclists riding monthly to promote bicycling as an alternative to cars and to assert cyclists rights. www.critical-mass.org.