Ocasio-Cortez and young protesters invade the Pelosi office to lobby for a climate plan

More than 200 young activists, accompanied by Republican-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, flooded the office of minority House leader Nancy Pelosi this morning, calling on Democrats to act more decisively against climate change.

Capitol police began arresting protesters after refusing to disperse after a few hours in front of the Pelosi office in the Cannon House office building. The organizers said that about fifty protesters had been arrested. Pelosi hailed the protest and called on the police "to allow them to continue to organize and participate in our democracy".

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Ocasio-Cortez, who left before the arrests began, said she was there to support the protesters and encourage Pelosi to listen to them. Ocasio-Cortez has not yet clarified whether she would support Pelosi as president when the Democrats would hold the party leadership elections later this month, though she said today that She is "looking forward to working together".

"We need a Green New Deal and we need to switch to 100% renewable energy because our lives depend on it," Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. "The IPCC itself says that we have 10 years left and I – not just as an elected member, but as a 29-year-old woman – not just thinking about what we will accomplish over the next two years but to America in which we will live in the next 30 years. "

The Green New Deal has become a rallying cry for liberals who want to develop renewable energy through a large set of infrastructure and jobs, although there are few clear plans on what this might involve. Protesters in front of the Pelosi office held placards asking, "What is your plan?"

Pelosi, however, will have to balance the wishes of the party's liberal wing and more moderate Democrats, while keeping open options for the White House candidate. Most observers do not expect the caucus to present ambitious initiatives on climate change early in the new Congress, following a health care and health-related election campaign. other priorities.

The protesters were lined up in the corridors, dressed in shirts on which were written: "We have good jobs and a viable future" and "12 years", the latter referring to the time window described in a recent report. to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United States warned last month that it was necessary to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the world by 2030 to avoid the worst effects of climate change. climate change.

Pelosi welcomed the protesters and announced that she was considering tackling climate change by restoring a special committee on the issue and including climate-related proposals in an infrastructure bill.

"We are inspired by the energy and activism of many young activists and advocates in the fight against the climate crisis, which threaten the health, economic security and future of all our communities," Pelosi said. in a statement. My Democratic colleagues in the House, we have reinstated a small committee to address the climate crisis. House Democrats continued their bold campaign for a $ 1 trillion investment in our infrastructure, which will make our communities more resilient to the climate crisis, while creating 16 million new high-paying jobs across the globe. the country.

Pelosi has garnered the support of many traditional environmental groups, such as the League of Conservation Voters, which has introduced the only bill on cap and trade that was passed in the House in 2009.

But Tuesday's protest organizers said the Democrats needed more than a piecemeal approach, like a group of experts, to examine an established science.

"Forty years ago, when we knew about the science of climate change, it would be a great first step," said Garrett Blad, a Sunrise volunteer who organized the event. "I think that in 2018, when fires, floods and storms worsen and that, according to the UN climate report, we have 12 years to radically transform our entire economy. on a scale unprecedented in the history of humanity, I think it's absolutely wrong to study climate change. things to do."