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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Protesters demand commitment on climate change

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Laura Porter.

Tens of thousands descended on the National Mall Sunday, pressing President Barack Obama to scrap plans for a transnational pipeline and combat global climate change.

Participants in the Forward on Climate rally gathered to urge Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry greenhouse gas emitting tar sands through several U.S. states. Organizers – including the Sierra Club, 350.org and the Hip-Hop Caucus – dubbed the event the largest climate rally in the nation’s history.

Dozens of students and members of the University’s environmental awareness student organization, Green GW, met in South Hall residence hall Sunday morning to assemble posters before joining the crowd.

“This rally is a really fun way to gather everyone on campus and get involved in such a large movement,” Isabelle Riu, president of Green GW, said. “To translate what we’re doing to such a bigger scale. It’s a really incredible experience.”

Protesters from across the country carried signs demanding a carbon tax and greater investments in alternative energy sources, chanting “Yes, we can” and “Can’t stop, won’t stop.”

Speakers, including Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune and 350.org founder Bill McKibben, called on the president to take a firmer stance against climate change.

Obama has already touched on environmental issues several times in his second term, including his State of the Union address last week, but activists say he has done little in practice. The president put off the decision to build the more than 1,000-mile pipeline that would span from Canada to Texas after a similar protest last year.

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