New Haven Climate Movement Rallies for Environmental Sustainability Prioritization in New Haven’s Transportation Systems
Juliette Glass
December 2024
On September 20, New Haven Climate Movement (NHCM), hosted a ‘DeCARbonize the Oceans’ rally on the New Haven Green, urging the passage of our ‘Transportation Transformation Resolution’. NHCM sent the final resolution to Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers on September 25.
Rally attendees called for a rejection of fossil fuel dependent transportation, and to support ocean health with slogans such as “Hey hey, ho ho, fossil fuels have got to go” and “Love our ocean, keep CO2 out,” pushing for climate friendly transportation options.
Suprya Sarkar, a senior at Mark T. Sheehan High School and a co-host of the rally, gave a speech about the current climate crisis that we are all experiencing, emphasizing that “We need to speak on behalf of the climate and especially the aquatic creatures, plants, and life sources that sustain humanity through a vast blue network.”
The rally drew leaders from various local environmental coalitions, such as the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, as well as Mayor Justin Elicker and representatives from advocacy and transportation groups across Connecticut. Lior Trestman, the leader of Safe Streets Coalition of New Haven, called for safer roads throughout the city that would encourage riding bikes as an alternative to driving everywhere.
The resolution, which was first drafted by NHCM in June, was developed with feedback from various city groups. Attendees marched around the New Haven Green before ending the rally in front of City Hall.
NHCM hopes to see more urgent action take place soon regarding the climate crisis. Adrian Huq, cofounder of the NHCM Youth Action Team and a graduate student at Yale School of the Environment, underscored that current city action was not enough.
“As we approach 2025, this means we are halfway to 2030, when scientists warn that we have until 2030 to take action on climate change at emergency speed before we encounter the worst impacts and irreversible feedback loops,” Huq said.
“We want to see the Department of Transportation, Traffic & Parking plan how they can cut transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030, and significantly increase bus, train, biking, walking, and electric vehicle use, and accelerate the implementation of the Safe Routes for All Citywide Active Transportation Plan. We want the city to put pressure on the state of Connecticut to provide free bus passes to all, for funding to support increased transportation staffing and increase transportation capital funds, and more,” Huq said to summarize goals of the resolution.
Next steps for NHCM include reaching out to local and state advocacy groups to gain organizational sign-ons and support for the resolution, which Juliette Glass, a senior at Mount Holyoke College, has been helping to lead.
While it might have be challenging to focus on climate change during the presidential election, “Our futures depend on the decisions we make today—investment in making public transportation affordable can greatly help not just students across the city, but also marginalized or low-income families navigate this greatly disproportionate fight against climate instability,” as Sarkar said at the rally.
Another NHCM public event took place around Halloween to highlight the scariness of climate change and car-dependent cities. Read the Transportation Transformation Resolution and sign the petition here. Feel free to check out the New Haven Climate movement on social media @newhavenclimatemovement on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, and Youtube to learn more!
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Juliette Glass works with Clean Transportation Communities of Southern CT.