Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski

On Sunday, Sept. 17, anywhere from 50,000 to 75,000 climate activists, according to protest organizers, came out to New York City to protest President Joe Biden and his administration for continuing to provide permits for new oil, mining and gas drilling. 

The protest saw incredible energy from the crowd and the involvement of concerned citizens, young and old. Climate scientists from the International Energy Agency warn us that nations need to stop approving new drilling permits to keep global temperatures at a safe level.

Opinions on Biden’s actions on climate change range from feeling the administration has been handling the issue of climate change well to feelings of betrayal. Those who feel betrayed by Biden point to Biden’s promises to end new fossil fuel projects while his administration continues to approve new ones, such as the Willow Project in Alaska.

While there is some disagreement among some climate activists regarding Biden’s sincerity in fighting climate change, there seems to be a nearly universal agreement that Biden has not done enough to fight climate change.

Many have hoped Biden would call for a climate emergency to end the creation of new permits for fossil fuel companies, but he has not done so. 

“President Biden has treated climate change as an emergency — the existential threat of our time — since day one,” according to a White House spokesperson.

It seems Biden’s approach to a climate emergency is not what many climate activists want from him. 

There is a heightened concern among young activists,  who believe they will live in a world significantly harmed by climate change. 

“We have to send a message that some of us are going to be living on — on this planet 30, 40, 50 years from now. And we will not take no for an answer,” U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said at the March to End Fossil Fuels protest.

These climate activism protests are likely to only increase in size, energy and demand as more people experience the adverse effects of climate change that climate scientists have warned about. According to University of Maryland sociologist Dana Fisher, who surveyed the protestors at the march, 86% had experienced extreme heat recently, 21% had experienced floods and 18% had experienced severe drought.

Part of the reason why Biden is increasing fossil fuel drilling permits could be due to the long-lasting interest in U.S. energy independence, which has become an ever-growing topic since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian invasion caused gas prices in the U.S. to rise and led to massive energy cost increases in Europe. 

Regardless of the benefits of energy independence, there is no escaping the reality that climate change is going to be a worsening problem affecting many aspects of society. Worsening climate change will lead to droughts, flooding, the damaging of ecosystems and the loss of entire species, making sustaining all life in the global environment an increasingly burdensome task.