Cross Posted from Tar Sands Blockade

UPDATE: Thursday, Nov. 15th – Four arrested for shutting down an American Petroleum Institute luncheon in New Orleans

Four protestors where arrested after a group of over a dozen shut down an American Petroleum Institiute luncheon in the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Today’s action in solidarity with Tar Sands Blockade was in response to Hurricane Sandy and the newly approved Parkway Oil Pipeline that would endanger the cities beloved Lake Pontchartrain.

New Orleans residents understand what the impacts of climate change mean for the health and safety of their community. The climate super powered storm of Hurricane Sandy serves as an all too familiar reminder of the devastation these more frequent storms will bring to the most vulnerable families around the globe. Today over a dozen organizers marched in the streets and shut down the American Petroleum Institute luncheon to protest the source of this threat, Big Oil’s stranglehold on our economy and our livable future. They chanted: “No pipeline! No tar sands! No destruction of Louisiana land!”

View the photos and watch the livestream of the action at noon central time:

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 14th – Rising Tide Vermont shuts down a talk by a Shell Oil Executive

Nine members of Rising Tide Vermont interrupted a Shell oil executive last night while he was speaking on a panel about ‘Big Oil in the Niger Delta.’

Activists shared testimony from Niger Delta community members suffering the impacts of Shell Oil operations on their homeland. Shell Oil has a long-standing relationship with Nigeria’s various military dictatorships and has been implicated in the genocidal devastation of ecosystems and communities in the Niger Delta. They also read statements from members of communities in Nigeria, Alberta facing toxic tar sands extraction.

After the speaker was interrupted several times in a row, police were called and the event was cancelled/postponed. Many people who planned on attending left, and the voice of Shell Oil was successfully challenged and silenced. No one was arrested.

“This day kicks off a week of actions in solidarity with frontline struggles in the movement for climate justice,” said Avery Pittman. “From the oilfields of the Niger Delta, to the tar sands in Alberta, to the ongoing blockade of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in east Texas, communities are resisting extreme energy and asserting their right to a healthy environment.” Read more here.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 14th – Climate Solidarity Action in the Philippines as part of Global Week for Climate Justice

Hundreds march through the streets of Manilla, Philippines toward the US Embassy to call for urgent action on climate change. Rising sea levels caused by climate change are a matter of survival for the thousands who live along the coastline of this island nation. Marchers connected the dots on climate change and other climate super powered storms like Hurricane Sandy with their signs. The march featured beautiful, theatrical street theater and giant puppets was organized by the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice as part of the Global Week for Climate Justice, which listed Tar Sands Blockade’s Mass Action on Monday the 19th as part of their global week of action.

UPDATE: Wednesday, Nov. 14th – Montana rallies to stop dirty coal exports and celebrate civil disobedience

Over 30 people gathered in Helena, Montana’s Constitution Park to support the venerable US tradition of civil disobedience. Immediately before an omnibus court hearing for the 23 people arrested during last August’s peaceful protests against coal exports at the Montana Capitol, the group gathered with signs reading “Support the Coal Export Action 23,” and “No More Coal Exports.”

Several people addressed the crowd, including some of the 23 who had been arrested in August. “I came to Helena, to my own statehouse and got arrested because it looks to me like there is no more time for writing reasoned letters to the editor or having meetings with the politicians,” said Linda Kenoyer, describing why she participated in last summer’s civil disobedience. ”The time has come to put my body on the line, to risk my safety and clean record if that’s what it takes to get someone’s attention.”

View more photos and read about the action on Coal Export Action’s blog.

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Almost 40 climate solidarity events have sprung up across the globe as part of the week of action November 14-20! These actions are in direct response to the aftershock of Hurricane Sandy, closing out the hottest year on record and the ongoing ecological devastation of tar sands extraction.

Climate change continues to put a disproportionate burden on low income communities and communities of color around the world, and this weeks events highlight this struggle as locals rise up to defend their homes from climate chaos. These events serve as a reminder that we are part of a growing movement to demand climate action. Get ideas for your own local action here.

“Communities around the world are working together to expose the threat that the fossil fuel economy poses to families everywhere,” said Arielle Klagsbrun of Missourians Organizing for Empowerment and Reform. “As extractive industries grow increasingly desperate for profits, corporations like Peabody Coal and TransCanada are resorting to the most dangerous of energy reserves, like hydro-fracking, tar sands exploitation and mountain top removal coal mining.”

This week’s actions are happening in almost 40 locations including the following:

“It’s encouraging to see these solidarity actions spring up across the globe in response to the escalating devastation of climate change,” said Nicole Browne of Tar Sands Blockade, who helped put out the call for the solidarity actions. “From the Alberta tar sands to the forests of East Texas and all around the world, these actions give hope to people everywhere who are defending their homes from reckless energy extraction that is fueling climate chaos.”