Thousands March In NYC Ahead Of UN Summit

Protesters are demanding an end to fossil fuels as the UN warned that its 2015 sustainable development goals were not going to be met. The march comes just ahead of the UN General Assembly.

Demonstrators held signs saying "End Fossil Fuel Use,""Declare a Climate Emergency" and "I didn't vote for fires and floods." The protesters implored US President Joe Biden and global leaders phase out fossil fuels, emphasizing their role in exacerbating climate change.

President Biden is among the world leaders set to attend the United Nations General Assembly, which is scheduled to formally open on Tuesday.

"We hold the power of the people, the power you need to win this election," said Emma Buretta, 17, of Brooklyn of the youth protest group Fridays for Future. "If you want to win in 2024, if you do not want the blood of my generation to be on your hands, end fossil fuels."

The 75,000 people who marched on Sunday came from about 700 organizations and activist groups and drew people from all spheres.

"We have people all across the world in the streets, showing up, demanding a cessation of what is killing us," US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told a cheering crowd. "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."_DW