Community Members Process Election Results, Commit to Continuing Climate Advocacy at Post-Election Climate Rally | Ithaca

Climate action groups Sunrise Ithaca, Cornell on Fire, and Extinction Rebellion Ithaca brought together about 50 people for a post-election climate rally Nov. 15 on the Ithaca Commons. Attendees reflected on the election results, called on local leaders to take climate action and discussed plans for future activism.  

Sam Poole, a member of Ithaca Sunrise and Cornell Young Democratic Socialists of America, opened the rally by commending attendees for standing together in solidarity.  

Poole said Trump’s victory poses a significant threat to the environment, which has not received as much attention as concerns about his presidencies potential harm to immigrants, women’s rights and labor unions. Poole believes that this is because Democrats and Republicans did not prioritize climate justice during their campaigns. 

“It can be easy sometimes for our leaders, or even for us, to feel like climate change is far away, to read stories in the news about natural disasters or see graphs of CO2 emission,” Poole said. “It can feel like climate change is something that happens to other people in other places, at times, at some time far in the future — but climate change is here now.” 

Ace Dufresne, an Ithaca High School junior who serves as the leader of Ithaca Sunrise, took the stage next. Dufresne said many of his peers feel discouraged by the election results and are losing hope about the country’s future.  

He added that the national Sunrise movement feels that the Democratic party has counted on the youth vote without trying to earn it and act on the issues important to young people. Dufresne said young people must organize to fight for climate justice and make their voices heard in the next presidential election.  

“Nationally, the Sunrise movement is relying on mass civil disobedience and base building to create a moral imperative for climate action so strong that whoever wins in 2028 has no choice but to act swiftly and sweepingly on climate,” Dufresne said. “We will build power here across the country, beyond political, racial and class lines. We will train a generation of young people to be the political leaders we deserve. Most importantly, we will not give up.” 

Dufresne said Ithaca Sunrise will turn their emotions into action by working to increase public support for the Ithaca Green New Deal. 

The City of Ithaca Common Council adopted the Ithaca Green New Deal resolution in 2019. The GND committed to achieving carbon neutrality city-wide by 2030 and ensuring climate action benefits are distributed equitably with all local communities, especially those impacted by historical, economic and social inequities. 

The Common Council passed the Justice 50 resolution in May 2024, which requires 50% of city expenditures for large infrastructure updates and the GND to be used in climate justice communities: communities that experience economic hardship or disproportionately experience the effects of climate change.  

Dufresne said Sunrise Ithaca understands that the GND could have monumental impacts for Ithaca and the nation and has been pushing city leaders to implement the GND for several years.  

“I strongly believe that if any city in the US can demonstrate how to address the climate crisis promptly, equitably and urgently, it would be us,” Dufresne said. “It will be hard to meet our goals, but I feel that we have a duty to show the rest of the country and the world that it is possible.” 

Dufresne said in an interview with The Ithaca Times that Sunrise Ithaca is considering a campaign to change the city charter to allow minors to serve on volunteer city commissions, like the Sustainability and Climate Justice Commission, to give youth voices greater influence in decision making. Sunrise Ithaca also plans to campaign for Common Council candidates who engage with the group while in office and represent its interests.  

Jesse Bates, a Dewitt Middle School student and Sunrise Ithaca’s youngest member, said he wanted to use his voice to call attention to climate change’s devastating impacts, especially for marginalized communities.  

“I don’t want the decisions of older generations and decisions made by our new president to dictate the future me and you will inherit,” Bates said. “I’m grateful for all of you for showing up today, because your presence proves that young people are not just standing by — we’re leading the charge for change.” 

Todd Saddler, a climate activist with Extinction Rebellion Ithaca and Cornell on Fire, said in an interview with The Ithaca Times that it was profound to see young people leading the rally and climate justice activism.  

“It gives me hope and it breaks my heart,” Saddler said. “I learned about global warming [and] the greenhouse effect when I was in high school, graduating in 1982, and we could have done something by now.” 

Dufresne told The Ithaca Times that local climate activism groups often work in their silos, and Sunrise Ithaca wants to build intergenerational connections with non-youth climate groups to work toward common goals.  

Claire Nickell, a climate activist with Extinction Rebellion Ithaca, said it can be challenging to see if climate activism work is having a tangible impact. Nickell and other XR Ithaca members hold a vigil outside of Chase Bank each Saturday at 11 a.m. to protest how JPMorgan Chase funds the most fossil fuel projects in the world.   

Nickell said she sometimes questions whether the vigil is worth her time and making a valuable contribution to the environmental movement, but she feels hopeful when she sees people wave or honk to show they care. She said she also gains hope from the community of activists who  are fighting for climate justice alongside her. 

“It’s not just one rally, it’s not one event on the corner,” Nickell said. “It’s all of these things that we do together. It’s the connections that we make. It is the people that we see together, the rallies we come to. And so we need to keep coming together.”

Charlotte Nelson, a Cornell University sophomore and Sunrise member, closed the rally by encouraging attendees to practice self-care as they process the election results and their implications on climate justice, and choose to focus on what they can control.  

“You have come here today to take action,” Nelson said. “You have chosen to take these emotions and this energy and put them towards something that can create change, instead of letting them just sit inside you. Don’t lose this courage and drive to fight for the thriving and equitable world we deserve. Center the solidarity we’ve created today and use it as the foundation to keep pushing forward. It will not always be easy, but our future depends on it.”