When a leading NASA scientist is willing to go to a protest in D.C. and get arrested along with hundreds of other, normal folks, you know he is concerned about something. As I wrote on the weekend, Monday was the Appalachia Rising! Day of Action. The non-violent action must have gone well, as top climate scientist James Hansen joined over a hundred others and submitted to arrest to make a point that this is not just an issue that should sit on the shelf in hundreds of scientific journals.
“We cannot enrich the experience of a few at the expense of many,” Hansen told the crowd.
From our sister site, Ecolocalizer, Ryan Van Lenning reports:
members of the Quakers, Rainforest Action Network, and Appalachia Rising conducted a direct action at the doors of the PNC Bank, a key mountaintop removal financer (and TARP-funds recipient, by the way) in downtown D.C. They were removed by police and arrested, including West Virginia resident and Appalachia Rising Coordinator Katie Rooth. All the while, Reverend Billy Talen (of Church of Life After Shopping and What Would Jesus Buy? fame) gave a Sermon on the Mountaintop, after which he also was arrested.
With a little more detail on the day of action and arrests, the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) reports:
More than 100 people were arrested today during Appalachia Rising, the largest national protest to end mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining. Arrests included Appalachian residents; retired coal miners; renowned climate scientist, James Hansen; and faith leaders. After a march from Freedom Plaza and a rally at Lafayette Park, more than 100 staged a sit-in in front of the White House to demand President Obama follow his own science and end mountaintop mining.
Here is some arrest footage and there is a ton more from the event on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1-fwWH0914
Great activist efforts by the hundreds who made it out for this day of action.
Hopefully, it will make a difference.
There are many bad effects of burning coal for electricity, and mountaintop removal adds several more big ones.
Photo Credits: Rainforest Action Network via flickr; Rainforest Action Network via flickr; Rainforest Action Network via flickr; Rainforest Action Network via flickr; Rainforest Action Network via flickr; Rainforest Action Network via flickr
I feel its a great shame that people including leading climate change scientist Jim Hansen is arrested for peaceful protest against shameful mountain top mining for CO2 producing coal. What has America come to?
From Harold Lane, Dornoch Scotland, UK.