Jaeha Jang, Contributing Photographer

The New Haven Climate Movement, or NHCM, hosted a “DeCARbonize the Oceans” rally on the New Haven Green on Friday, sending a “sea of messages” to the Board of Alders and urging the passage of their “Transportation Transformation” resolution. The NHCM will send the final resolution to the alders this week. 

With slogans such as “Car Free 4 Clean Seas” and “Decarbonize or we’re FIN-ished,” protesters called for a rejection of fossil fuel-dependent vehicles and a push towards climate-friendly transportation.

“[The Board of Alders] are in control of passing this resolution,” said Suprya Sarkar, a senior at Mark T. Sheehan High School and a co-host of the rally. “So our goal is to basically promote that and say that climate change and transportation is a critical issue.”

The rally drew leaders of the Yale Student Environmental Coalition, as well as Mayor Justin Elicker and representatives from transportation and environmental advocacy groups across Connecticut. 

The demonstration follows months of feedback from various city groups about NHCM’s resolution, which was first drafted in June. Attendees marched around the New Haven Green, signing petitions and listening to speakers, before ending the rally in front of City Hall.

According to Adrian Huq ENV ’26, the co-founder of the NHCM Youth Action Team, the NHCM has made important progress over the past few years. They cited the passage of the Climate Emergency Resolution in 2019, which called for zero emissions in the city by 2030. 

However, they hope to see more urgent action taken regarding climate change. 

“We get a lot of agreement that, yes, climate change is an issue,” they said. “But just that urgency piece of making sure that they’re accountable to all the goals and policies that we’ve pushed on them for the last few years [is important.]”

Local climate leaders advocated for sustainable modes of transportation at the rally. Geremy Schulick, the program manager at Clean Transportation Communities of Southern Connecticut, highlighted the need for electric school buses, while Lior Trestman, the leader of Safe Streets Coalition of New Haven, called for safer bike roads that would encourage riding bikes as alternatives to cars.

Huq said they appreciated the diversity of New Haven community members who showed up to the rally, especially young members of the community.

“Generation Z, Generation Alpha, and future generations after us, we’ll be facing the brunt of the climate crisis growing up in a more warm, climate-changed world,” they said. 

Attendees held up signs that resembled oceanic creatures — fish, crabs and turtles, sending waves of advocacy to the Board.

One attendee, 9-year-old Danny Roosien, held up a sign that read, “Fossil fuels are stealing my future!”

“Climate change is bad,” he told the News. “I don’t want it to burn down our planet.”

Sarkar added that it’s been challenging to direct community members’ attention to the issue of climate change, especially during an election year.

She also underscored the importance of the Yale community engaging with the environmental movements in New Haven.

“It feels great to know that there’s a larger community who’s supporting us and what we do,” she said. “Equally wanting the same things for the local community as we’re wanting makes it easier to send that message, especially because Yale has such a big impact on New Haven.”

The NHCM was founded in 2015.