Rising Tide North America


Rising Tide North America is a grassroots network of groups and individuals in North America organizing action against the root causes of climate change and work towards a non-carbon society. Rising Tide North America is part of an international network dedicated to building a climate justice and anti-extraction movement. Rising Tide generally takes a strongly "no compromise" stance on the environment and a vehement opposition to solutions proposed by corporations who, they say, are responsible for creating environmental problems in the first place.

History

Rising Tide was formed by groups and individuals who came together to organize protests and events at the United Nations Climate Conference of Parties in The Hague, Netherlands in November 2000.
In 2000, Rising Tide UK was formed. In mid-2004, a Rising Tide group formed in Newcastle, Australia, the world's largest coal export port. A smaller group has also started in Sydney.
Rising Tide North America was formed mainly by Earth First!, Mountain Justice and other experienced activists in a desire to be less insular and focus more on coalition building and linking climate change issues to other causes.
Rising Tide describes itself as "a grassroots network committed to taking action and building a movement against climate change. We do not have a formal membership structure - anyone who supports the political statement on our website can become a part of the network."

Organization

Rising Tide North America is a network with over 50 chapters, allies and local contacts throughout Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Rising Tide North America has active local groups in Idaho, Utah, the Pacific Northwest Cascadia, Chicago Texas, San Francisco Bay Area and Alaska. Rising Tide operates through decentralized network organizing consisting of autonomous local groups and that mostly use consensus decision-making.

Activities

On December 17, 2013, 16 protesters with Portland Rising Tide were arrested after locking themselves to disabled vehicles in front of a tar sands megaload shipment near John Day, Oregon, delaying the shipment’s passage. Police responded by using 'pain compliance' to remove the protest. On December 1, 2013 two men locked themselves to the tar sands megaload truck and had to be removed by police, which took so long the shipment canceled its nightly move.
Rising Tide NYC organized three days of action on climate change in New York City on April 20–22, 2015. They rallied at the office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call for him to reject a proposed deepwater port which would be used to import natural gas.