Rising Tide North America

Rising Tide North America is a grassroots network of groups and individuals in North America organizing action against the root causes of climate change and work towards a non-carbon society. Rising Tide North America is part of an international network dedicated to building a climate justice and anti-extraction movement. Rising Tide generally takes a strongly "no compromise" stance on the environment and a vehement opposition to solutions proposed by corporations who, they say, are responsible for creating environmental problems in the first place.^[1][2]

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History

Rising Tide was formed by groups and individuals who came together to organize protests and events at the United Nations Climate Conference of Parties (COP6) in The Hague, in November 2000. These groups shared a unique approach to climate change based around the issues of social justice and a critique of business-led solutions, which were captured in the Rising Tide Political Statement.^[3]

In 2000, Rising Tide UK was formed. In mid-2004, a Rising Tide group formed in Newcastle, Australia, the world's largest coal export port. A smaller group has also started in Sydney.

Rising Tide North America was formed mainly by Earth First!, Mountain Justice and other experienced activists in a desire to be less insular and focus more on coalition building and linking climate change issues to other causes.

Rising Tide describes itself as "a grassroots network committed to taking action and building a movement against climate change. We do not have a formal membership structure - anyone who supports the political statement on our website can become a part of the network."

Organization

Rising Tide North America is a network with over 50 chapters, allies and local contacts throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Rising Tide North America has active local groups in Utah, New England, Idaho, Montana, the northwest Cascadia region, Chicago Texas, St. Louis (Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment), San Francisco Bay Area, Vancouver and Washington, DC. Rising Tide operates through decentralized, autonomous local groups and consensus decision-making.

Activities

Rising Tide's first direct action was closing down a coal-fired power plant near Carbo, Virginia.^[4] Rising Tide would later be instrumental in defeating a proposal by Progress Energy to build an oil-fired power plant in Woodfin, North Carolina.^[5]

Rising Tide North America has hosted Convergences for Climate Action since the summer of 2007, in multiple locations around the United States.^[6]

Contingents have also worked in Mexico.^[7] Brad Will, the Indymedia journalist who was assassinated in Oaxaca, Mexico, was a member of Rising Tide and Earth First!.

A network of protesters within the Rising Tide, named the 'Greenwash Guerillas' have disrupted a number of public speakers in recent times. Thomas Friedman, a number of banking and fossil fuel industry CEOs and others have been notably targeted by this organization.

Beginning in 2011, activists with Wild Idaho Rising Tide began protesting and blocking tar sands "megaloads" in Moscow, Idaho. Oil companies transport tar sands extraction equipment through Idaho to the Alberta tar sands.

In the summer of 2012, activists with Rising Tide North Texas formed the Tar Sands Blockade with Texas landowners to campaign against the construction of the southern leg of TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline. TransCanada responded by hiring off-duty police officers, filing civil suits against protesters, and calling on-duty officers to remove protesters by using, at times, pepper spray, pain compliance, and Tasers.^[8]

On December 17, 2013, 16 protesters with Portland Rising Tide were arrested after locking themselves to disabled vehicles in front of a tar sands megaload shipment near John Day, Oregon, delaying the shipment’s passage. Police responded by using 'pain compliance' to remove the protest. On December 1, 2013 two men locked themselves to the tar sands megaload truck and had to be removed by police, which took so long the shipment canceled its nightly move.^[9]

Rising Tide NYC organized three days of action on climate change in New York City on April 20–22, 2015. They rallied at the office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call for him to reject a proposed deepwater port which would be used to import natural gas.^[10] The protest also marked the fifth anniversary of the BP oil disaster by shutting down a BP gas station.^[11]

Kyoto protocol criticism

Rising Tide strongly criticizes Kyoto protocol, since they claim the protocol is severely compromised by corporations that want to profit from carbon trading and that it won't help the environment substantially since it doesn't cover chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) or SO₂-like gases.^[12]

See also

• Action on climate change
• Campaign against Climate Change (UK pressure group)
• Conservation ethic
• Earth First!
• Environmental movement
• List of environmental organizations
• Paxus Calta
• Stop Climate Chaos (UK pressure group)

References

1. "The Understory » Associated Press:Climate crisis energizes radical environmentalists". Understory.ran.org. 2008-11-26. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
2. Cappiello, Dina (November 26, 2008). "Climate Crisis Energizes Radical Environmentalists". Associated Press. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
3. "The Rising Tide Coalition for Climate Justice Political Statement | Rising Tide UK". Risingtide.org.uk. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
4. "Resisting King Coal: Rising Tide’s First Direct Action in North America". Rising Tide North America. 2006-07-11. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
5. "Rising Tide Helps Defeat Oil Power Plant in North Carolina!". Rising Tide North America. 2007-04-03. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
6. "2010 Convergences for Climate Action". Climateconvergence.org. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
7. "Report on the September-October 2006: Alternative Climate Justice Dialogue & Convergence against the G8+5 in Mexico City". Rising Tide North America. 2006-11-04. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
8. Tim Phillips, "Human Rights Day: Celebrating the Determination of Eco-Warriors in East Texas", Activist Defense, December 10, 2012.
9. "Police arrest 16 as protesters delay tar-sands megaload near John Day". The Oregonian. 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
10. "Rising Tide NYC Holds 3 Days of Actions Against Climate Change". Democracy Now!. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
11. "New Yorkers mark Deepwater Horizon anniversary with mock Gulf Coast funeral". Waging Nonviolence. 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
12. "Reports | Rising Tide UK". Risingtide.org.uk. Retrieved 2011-03-20.

External links

• Rising Tide North America
• Rising Tide UK
• Rising Tide AU
• Rising Tide London
• Convergence for Climate Action
• The case against carbon trading by The Rising Tide Environmentalist Group