Cornell On Fire actions condemn university administration’s silence and silencing in the face of an existential crisis. We call on Cornell to declare a climate emergency. We blindfolded and gagged the statue of Cornell founder and adorned him with a message to those in power at Cornell: “The science is clear. Don’t look away. Don’t muzzle protesters. Declare a Climate Emergency."
On January 6th, we sent our petition to President Biden, calling on him to declare a climate emergency before he leaves office. One day later, the climate emergency came to the people of Los Angeles county, in the form of unprecedented wildfires. We again call on President Biden and the Democratic party to make a very clear and public statement connecting the ways climate change has made catastrophes like this more intense and more frequent.
The goal of these "Don't Look Away" actions is to direct global attention to the ecological emergency, by blindfolding iconic statues. This creates powerful images and a clear message: those in power are ignoring the crisis.