Heather Curtis
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON (WMAL) – As if Monday morning commutes weren’t rough enough around here, yours may be worse Monday if it involves driving in the District.

Activists calling for action on climate change say they’re going to shut down D.C. Monday by blocking off streets to get people’s attention. They want to see the abolition of fossil fuels and a transition to 100 percent renewable energy according to a press release.

“Obviously blocking traffic in a city will inconvenience some people who bare little to no responsibility for the effects of climate change,” said organizer Kaela Bamberger.

Bamberger added others stuck in traffic will be ones activists blame for not taking action to stop climate change including industry officials, lobbyists and politicians.

The protest follows walkouts by high school students across the country Friday to bring attention to climate change, and it’s happening on the same day as a U.N. special action summit on the topic. Many world leaders will be there, but President Donald Trump will be chairing his own session on worldwide religious persecution.

When asked Sunday if his decision to not attend the climate change summit was a snub, Mr. Trump responded, “No. It’s not a snub at all. I’m very busy. I’m going on the floods today. The floods are very important to me, and climate change, everything is very important.”

Bamberger said it’s up to the public to hold leaders accountable for making changes to stop climate change. She doesn’t think Monday’s protests will backfire as angry Washingtonians sit in gridlock.

“It’s likely to disrupt business as usual, but business as usual is a death sentence for people growing up now, and for people alive today,” Bamberger said pointing to the deaths caused by extreme weather in places including the Bahamas.

She would not say which streets will be blocked off or when. The website strikedc.org lists four public meet-up locations for participants: Hancock Park/L’Enfant Metro Station, Folger Park, Columbus Circle and Farragut Square. Meet-up times are 6:30, 7 and 7:30 in the morning.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration put out a press release Friday saying various city agencies will be monitoring the protests. It warned drivers to prepare for delays and use public transit if possible.

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