CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE -- On Friday December 6, as world leaders gathered at the United Nations’ annual Climate Change Conference, activist groups led hundreds of climate strikes all over the country in a concerted effort to make their voices heard. In Concord, a hundred people gathered at the State House to demand their elected officials support climate justice initiatives, including the national Green New Deal and the closure of the largest remaining coal power plant in New England, located in nearby Bow NH. 350 New Hampshire organizers ended the strike by leading strikers across the street to the Liberty Utilities office to demand they withdraw their proposal for the Granite Bridge Pipeline.
“When we are not satisfied with our government’s decisions, especially those that are hurting our only planet, it’s our responsibility to fight for change,” says Maggie Phillips, a Pembroke resident and member of the Board of Directors for NH Youth Climate Strikes. “We, as the youth of New Hampshire, are standing together in solidarity to demand our legislators work in the interest of our future, and not in the interest of big corporations or greed.”
The strike was organized by a coalition of over ten climate justice groups, including New Hampshire Youth Movement, 350 New Hampshire, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Rights & Democracy, Mothers Out Front, and NH Youth Climate Strikes. Speakers, organized by NH Youth Climate Strikes, included:
Ilinca Dondroe, New Hampshire Youth Climate Strike co-director
Bridget Wilcox, NH Youth Climate Strike co-director and state lead
Adria Cormack, New Hampshire Youth Climate Strike team member
Molly Biron, New Hampshire Young Democrats State Organizing Director
Grace Matthews, New Hampshire Youth Climate Strike team member
Quincy Abramson, New Hampshire Youth Movement Field Organizer
Meghan Hoskins, League of Conservation Voters Field Organizer
Lila Kohrman-Glaser, 350 New Hampshire Organizer
Bridget Wilcox, State Lead for NH Youth Climate Strikes and resident of Gilmanton, states that “I am striking as a member of Gen Z, I am striking as a member of the youth community in New Hampshire. We are going to experience the effects of this climate crisis more than any other generation has, and often our voices are ignored. We are told to stay in school and maybe one day in the future we can be environmental scientists. But I don’t see much point in that because if we don’t take action NOW, we won’t have a future. Strike with us for the future we all want and need.”
At the end of the strike, Lila Kohrman-Glaser with 350 New Hampshire invited strikers to join in nonviolent direct action at the office of Liberty Utilities “because New Hampshire does not need the dangerous fracked gas Granite Bridge Pipeline. They cannot continue business as usual, because their business is destroying our climate and our future.” The crowd moved across the street and stood in front of the office of Liberty Utilities, whose proposed Granite Bridge fracked gas pipeline has raised major concerns among environmentally conscious citizens. Running from Stratham to Manchester, the proposed pipeline crosses the Lamprey River and runs very near Massabesic Lake, which raises worries about water contamination in the event of a leak. Over fifty people occupied the space in front of their office, holding banners and signs urging the company to end its pursuit of the Granite Bridge Pipeline. They chanted “hey hey, ho ho, Granite Bridge has got to go” and posed the question “which side are you on?” Speakers urged company leadership to consider which side of history they want to be on: the side of climate chaos or the side of climate justice.
Ilinca Dondroe, with NH Youth Climate Strikes states, “I believe it is so vital to take action about the climate crisis because it intersects every aspect of our lives and our futures! We have all witnessed or experienced the effects of climate change, and now more than ever we need to continue raising our voices to push for legislative change, collective action, and justice, especially for those disproportionately impacted.”
After demonstrating outside of the Liberty Utilities office, the group of over fifty concerned citizens walked across the street to the state house and proceeded to the Senate Democrat’s office. When the Granite Bridge Pipeline was originally proposed, 22 out of 24 state senators endorsed the pipeline, and have not changed their minds. Speakers in the office delivered a message for the senators: stand with us against the expansion of fossil fuels in New Hampshire, or we will vote for people who will.
