As unprecedented heat and dizzyingly myriad examples of climate crisis unfold around the world, a group of community organizations is partnering with members of the Shinnecock Nation and individuals including philanthropist Abigail Disney (yes, that Disney) to shut down the East Hampton Airport as part of a weekend of action. Today, New York Communities for Change, the Sunrise Movement, Reclaim Our Tomorrow, and Disney will engage in a “nonviolent civil disobedience and airport blockade” to “prevent private plane arrivals and departures at the airport to bring awareness to the immense carbon emissions from private air travel.”
The Hamptons is a luxury vacation spot on Long Island, east of New York City (the Shinnecock are the original stewards of eastern Long Island) and its airport is regularly frequented by private aircraft.
“These same rich people farting into the Hamptons on private jets are often the ones who make their money in industries that hugely accelerate the climate crisis,” Teddy Ogborn, action participant, and Planet Over Profit organizer, said in a statement. “As long as the 1% continues to needlessly poison our air and heat our earth, we will continue to escalate our actions against them.”
As we witness the snowballing effects of climate change, some following the news have rejected the personal responsibility narrative often foisted upon the average individual in favor of critiquing how disproportionately the 1% contributes to global waste and pollution. Private aircraft remains a key example. One assessment found that private jets are 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial flights per passenger. The same study blamed 50% of aviation emissions on just 1% of people. A report from the Environmental Protection Agency found that, in 2020, US civilian, noncommercial aircraft usage created as much emissions as all US bus travel.
The timing is appropriate as the last week made it clear that the climate crisis isn’t impending, it’s upon us. Due to a perfect storm confluence of atmospheric conditions, last month was the hottest-ever June on record and we’re on track to break the record for the hottest year on Earth again. Heatwaves are sweeping Europe and the US. And this year is already the worst wildfire season in Canadian history.
This week, at least 11 tornadoes struck Chicago, historic flooding inundated Vermont and caused at least one death, and the state capital of Montpelier was submerged. Tales of residents kayaking down flooded city streets gave me an unpleasant flashback to Hurricane Ida in 2021. The Atlantic Ocean is so hot (with water temperatures in the mid-90s), that Floridians are comparing it to bathwater.
“As a Hurricane Sandy survivor whose family lost our home, I know firsthand that the grotesquely wealthy’s reckless consumption is destroying our lives,” Rachel Rivera, a member of New York Communities for Change, said in a statement. “The 1% can try to hide away in the Hamptons, but as their fossil fuel investments overheat our planet, we’ll be at their doorsteps to hold them accountable.”
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