Residents march through Newburyport streets demanding city declare Climate Emergency

North Shore Residents March Through Newburyport Streets Demanding City Declare Climate Emergency

Group Rallies for Mayor and City Council to Take Emergency Action Following Publication of Resiliency Plan Outlining Existential Climate & Biodiversity Risks

Extinction Rebellion Newburyport Flies Colorful Wind Art, Blocks Traffic on Walk from Waterfront to City Hall to Demand Climate Emergency Resolution

NEWBURYPORT, MA — On an unusually warm April Saturday, dozens of local supporters of the Extinction Rebellion Newburyport group rallied downtown as part of Climate Emergency Week. Flying colorful “Winds of Change” wind art and banners, they gathered to demand that the city declare a Climate Emergency in response to the worsening climate and ecological crises. The group marched from Market Square, blocking traffic on Pleasant Street and Green Street, with stops at the Waterfront and City Hall where they decorated with wind art.

In October 2020, Newburyport released a climate resiliency plan outlining the dramatic risks posed to the city’s infrastructure, housing, waterfront, natural habitats by climate change & biodiversity collapse. According to the plan, without immediate action large portions of the city, including Plum Island, utilities facilities, and much of the historic waterfront, will become unlivable, flooded, and/or storm-ravaged within decades.

Extinction Rebellion Newburyport calls upon the Mayor & City Council to join the dozens of towns and cities around Massachusetts that have already declared a Climate Emergency. This action will put urgency behind the adaptation, resilience, and restoration projects that the city’s Resiliency Plan proscribes are required in the next 10 years. A declaration of emergency also pressures state leaders to immediately provide funding and resources that match the scale of the response required by the Resiliency Plan.

Extinction Rebellion’s event followed the publication of the 2020 CO2 and methane emissions data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That report states that if it hadn't been for COVID, 2020 would have been the worst year on record for CO2 and methane emissions. Even with the 7% contraction associated with the COVID recession, 2020 ranked in the top 5 for CO2 and 1st for methane emissions. According to the report, the last time Earth had CO2 levels similar to 2020 was 3.6m years ago when the sea levels were 78 feet higher and temperatures were 7F (3.9C) warmer. Warming of 3-4C by 2100 is likely under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasts without drastic emissions reductions by 2030.

Extinction Rebellion Newburyport will fly wind art and rally to demand a Climate Emergency declaration again at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport on Saturday, April 17. They invite local community members to join them to reflect on the urgency of the climate & ecological crises. These actions are part of a statewide Emergency Everywhere campaign demanding local cities and towns to pass declarations of Climate Emergency.

*For more information about Extinction Rebellion Massachusetts including upcoming actions, please visit: https://xrmass.org/

References:

1. Extinction Rebellion Climate Emergency Week
2. Newburyport Resiliency Plan
3. “Despite pandemic shutdowns, carbon dioxide and methane surged in 2020”, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, April 6, 2020
4. Draft Climate Emergency Resolution
5. Emergency Everywhere Campaign across Massachusetts