Where Coloradans Are Rallying During Week of Global Climate Activism

Activists all around the world are preparing for what they hope will be the largest series of climate-change demonstrations ever, with thousands of events planned in over 150 countries.

On September 20 and September 27, a broad coalition of environmental groups are calling on workers and students to participate in a Global Climate Strike, and to walk out of their schools and workplaces to “demand an end to the age of fossil fuels.” The Climate Strike movement is led in part by Greta Thunberg, the sixteen-year-old Swedish activist whose confrontational speech at a United Nations climate conference went viral in 2018.

U.N. diplomats will convene again in New York next week for the organization's 2019 Climate Action Summit, at which Secretary General António Guterres is expected to urge world leaders to commit to more aggressive emissions reduction targets.

While all that’s going on, activists in Colorado and beyond hope to bring attention to the urgent need for climate action with rallies, protests, town halls and more. Here are the major events happening here this week and next, in chronological order.

Green New Deal Town Hall
Wednesday, September 18, 7 p.m.
Naropa Performing Arts Center, 2130 Arapahoe Street, Boulder
The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate activist group, is holding a forum on the Green New Deal and other climate issues, featuring musical performances and keynote speaker Joe Salazar, a former state representative and director of anti-fracking group Colorado Rising.

Denver Climate Strike
Friday, September 20, 11 a.m.
Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street
In the week's "largest and most visible" demonstration, activists will gather outside Union Station before marching down the 16th Street Mall to the Colorado State Capitol, where a rally will begin around 12:30 p.m.
(In addition to the Denver march, there are at least twelve other strike events planned across the state, from Greeley to Durango. Find more information here.)

Extinction Rebellion Mass Day of Civil Disobedience
Monday, September 23
Members of climate activist group Extinction Rebellion will hold "a fun and creative low risk non-violent direct action in downtown Denver" to raise awareness of the climate crisis and its impact on vulnerable populations.

16th Street Mall Art Walk
Tuesday, September 24, 10:30 a.m.
Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street
Throughout the week, the Colorado Indigenous Youth Council will present an art installation on the 16th Street Mall calling attention to missing and murdered indigenous, black and migrant women, and activists will host a walk-through of the installation on Tuesday.

Cities Combating Climate Change
Tuesday, September 24, 6 p.m.
Denver Press Club, 1330 Glenarm Place
The Colorado chapter of the Citizens' Climate Lobby is hosting a panel discussion about addressing climate efforts at the local level, featuring Mayor Michael Hancock and three other metro-area mayors.

Close Suncor Action
Thursday, September 26, 5 p.m.
Fairfax Park, Commerce City
Community activists will rally near the Suncor USA facility, one of the largest sources of pollution in Colorado and a key part of its fossil-fuel energy infrastructure, and demand that the state "adopt a Green New Deal and close the Suncor refinery."

Defund Climate Disaster Action
Friday, September 27, noon
16th Street Mall
Supporters of fossil-fuel divestment will demonstrate against JPMorgan Chase and other financial institutions that help fund the oil and gas industry. In addition to the Denver demonstration, activists plan to stage a die-in at a Chase Bank location in Boulder.

Stop Fracking Our Future
Sunday, September 29, 4 p.m.
Anthem Community Park, Broomfield
Activists will gather in Broomfield, one of many suburban Front Range communities that has been impacted by nearby fracking projects, for food, music and other activities, bringing an end to the week of action.