FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Hundreds of people laced up their sneakers and hit the streets of Fort Lauderdale and Miami to protest the Trump administration’s handling of climate change, Saturday.
Marchers in Fort Lauderdale held up signs and chanted, “Whose water? Our water,” as they headed to A1A and Sunrise Boulevard after gathering at George English Park in Fort Lauderdale, prompting honks from drivers in support of the demonstration.
“The coastlines are being degraded at a much more rapid rate than we ever thought. You can see it,” said march organizer Gabriela Wisniewski.
The protests, one of dozens held across the U.S., coincided with President Donald Trump’s 100th day in office.
Demonstrators in Miami set off from José Martí Park in Little Havana. “One world. That’s all we got, one world,” said protester Meredith Frost. “This is a Black Eyed Peas quote, because it’s true. There’s no alternative.”
José Martí Park flooded with seawater during the last king tide, and protesters used that backdrop to send a message that Miami in particular is under threat by rising seas, which they claim is a result of climate change.
“We notice that the water is rising here in Miami. We live this,” said march organizer Valencia Gunder.
“I’m a biologist. I work in the Everglades, and I deal with facts every day. It shouldn’t be ignored,” said demonstrator Tricia Callahan. “Climate change is real, and it needs to be taken seriously.”
Gunder used the sweltering temperatures protesters experienced on Saturday as yet another example of climate change. “We live this every day. It’s extremely hot out here today,” she said.
Former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy gave a few cost-effective suggestions that could help slow down climate change. “We have solutions on the table: solar energy, wind energy, energy efficiency,” she said. “These are things that are going to save people money, grow jobs of the future, so we have something to do today that’s both going to address a problem and be very helpful for our economy moving forward.”
“We are here to be nature’s voice and to fight for our planet, because this is our home, and we are destroying it at impeccable rates, and it’s inconceivable,” said Frost.
Cameras also captured protesters near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. Participants at these events were seen carrying anti-Trump signs.
Protesters said they have seen a rollback of climate protections, and they are determined to send a unified message to lawmakers. “We want a clean world, a safe world for my grandchildren,” said Norma Jenkins. “It’s my job to come out here and advocate for them.”
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