“group of protestors have 395 shut down”

Update: “MPD reports the first amendment activity has cleared on I-395 at the 7th Street Ramp and the associated road closure is now open.”

Shelby writes at 8:38am: “looks like a group of protestors have 395 shut down”

From a press release:

“Dr. Rose Abramoff (a US climate change scientist and member of Scientist Rebellion), Declare Emergency and their supporters blocked I-395 (at the 7th St SW overpass) in Washington DC. This comes just two days after being arrested for chaining herself to the White House fence with indigenous and anti-pipeline protesters.

On April 6th, over 1000 Scientist Rebellion activists took direct action targeting scientific, financial, and governmental institutions in over 25 countries, risking arrest in order to highlight the urgency and injustice of the climate and ecological crisis in the world’s largest ever scientist-led civil disobedience campaign

The scientists are acting under the slogan “1.5°C is dead, climate revolution now!” Dr. Abramoff warns that “we have not made the changes necessary to limit warming to 1.5°C, rendering this goal effectively impossible. We need to both understand the consequences of our inaction as well as limit fossil fuel emissions as much and as quickly as possible. As scientists, we tend to be risk-averse. We don’t want to risk our jobs, our reputations, and our time. But it is no longer sufficient to do our research and expect others to read our publications and understand the severity and urgency of the climate crisis. I’m taking action to urge governments and society to stop ignoring the collective findings of decades of research. Let’s make this crisis impossible to ignore.”

This comes after the release of the third part of the 6th IPCC report, which the group leaked an early version of last August. As expected, the final report was watered-down by governments around the world in its calls for action and the severity of the crisis. Despite this, UN Secretary General António Guterres said, “This report is a litany of broken climate promises. We are on a fast-track to climate disaster. We are in a climate emergency.”

The evidence of the scale of the crisis is incontrovertible, as laid bare in the February 28, 2022 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: “The scientific evidence is unequivocal; climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.” This follows former chief scientific advisor to the UK, Sir David King’s prediction that what we do in the next 2-3 years will “determine the future of humanity.”

Dr. Peter Kalmus, a climate scientist who was arrested along with 3 other scientists on April 6th at JPMorgan Chase in Los Angeles, said “We need a billion climate activists. I encourage everyone to consider where we’re heading as a species, and to engage in civil disobedience and other actions. The time is now. We’ve waited far too long. Mobilize, mobilize, and mobilize. Mobilize before we lose everything.” JPMorgan Chase is the world’s largest funder of fossil fuels.

Scientist Rebellion cofounder Mike Lynch-White, former Theoretical Physics PhD candidate turned full-time climate activist, explains scientists’ need for action this way: “Imagine two people are sitting in a house. One turns to the other and calmly states that the house is on fire and the roof is about to collapse and kill them both, before going back to their morning newspaper. It would be completely unreasonable for the other person to believe the threat, no matter how real it is.”

Scientist Rebellion is on the streets between April 4th and 9th, acting like our house is on fire. Because it is.”

kristin writes: “protesters have closed down 395 north into the city again as of 10 minutes ago. Looks like police were rerouting as best they could. But traffic definitely super slow and mostly stopped coming into the city.”

Katelyn writes: “OK, so there are people SEATED on the 395N/295/695 exchange area. Traffic is backed up something ridiculous. I think I saw a sign for climate protection?”

From AlertDC: “MPD reports a road closure, Northbound I-395 at the 7th Street Ramp until further notice due to first amendment activity. Commuters should expect delays. Please avoid the area and use an alternate route.”