The Growing Criminalization of Climate Activism in Western Democracies

Summer of Heat, Climate Rights International (CRI), and Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) Present:

Taking Action: The Growing Criminalization of Climate Activism in Western Democracies.

As extreme weather events become the new normal, citizens all over the world are waking up to the existential threat of the climate emergency. While climate change is making social, economic, and environmental problems worse, it is also doubling the resolve of activists who clearly see that transition off of fossil fuels simply isn’t happening fast enough. According to NASA, “without major action to reduce emissions, global temperature is on track to rise by 2.5°C to 4.5°C by 2100.” A 2012 World Bank report concluded that “there is no certainty that adaptation to a 4°C world is possible … the projected 4°C warming simply must not be allowed to occur.”

Given this bleak scenario, peaceful civic engagement is both an expected response and a welcoming solution. Yet, Western Democracies all over the world are now responding to civil disobedience and peaceful protests by climate activists with disproportionate penalties and harsh new laws. What’s the future of democracies, if its citizens aren’t allowed to peacefully protest and advocate for a just green economy?

Join Brad Adams (Executive Director at Climate Rights International), Alice Hu (New York Communities for Change), Nina Lakhani (Senior Reporter, Guardian US), Kumi Naidoo (Former International Executive Director of Greenpeace International and Secretary General of Amnesty International) and Marcello Federico (Divestment Organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network), for an open and in-depth discussion on the future of climate activism.

DATE: September 24, 2024

TIME: 7 p.m. EDT

WHERE: The People’s Forum

ADDRESS: 320 West 37th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues) / New York, NY 10018

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The People's Forum, 320 West 37th Street, New York, United States