DETROIT — Despite snowy conditions and hazardous roads, dozens gathered for the Climate Can’t Wait rally in Detroit on Saturday, demanding urgent action on climate change and environmental justice.
The demonstration follows recent workforce reductions at the Environmental Protection Agency EPA which saw nearly 400 scientists and engineers terminated.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell D-MI 6th District condemned the layoffs, stating, “The environment matters. It is not a bad word, and we shouldn’t be firing people because they happen to be working on something that really does matter to people’s everyday lives.”
Brian Kelly, vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, warned that the loss of these workers will severely impact environmental protection efforts.
Those were our new scientists and engineers that we really needed to combat the climate crisis and to implement environmental justice,” he said.
Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib D-MI 12th District echoed these concerns, emphasizing the regulatory impact of reduced staffing. “That’s less eyes on the fossil fuel industry, less eyes on corporate holders, less eyes to make sure that they’re complying with the air permits that they have,” she said.
Speakers at the rally highlighted the consequences of inaction, referencing recent extreme weather events such as California’s devastating wildfires.
“It’s about rallying with people that know that science is real, that climate change is real, and we need to keep fighting regardless of what this administration is doing,” Kelly said.
Detroit City Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero urged attendees to remain engaged and advocate for their communities. I want to make sure that everyone is righteously angry and asking for what they deserve,” she said. These are our resources, and they’re our funds. These are our dollars that we should have a say in where they go.”
Organizers framed the rally as a call for climate justice, union jobs, public health, and a sustainable future, emphasizing that the fight for environmental protection is also a fight for community well-being and economic opportunity.
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