Students voice climate concerns at inauguration rally

Over 100 people rallied at the steps of the Rhode Island State House on President Donald Trump’s inauguration day, standing in support of climate advocacy and environmental justice.

University of Rhode Island students attended the Jan. 20 demonstration and held up signs that read: “URI students for climate” and “future environmental scientists against Trump.” 

Student Action for Sustainability, a URI student organization, co-sponsored the event alongside thirteen other groups, including Climate Action for Rhode Island, according to the event flyer. 10 SAS members attended the rally.

At its core, “Rally for the Planet” opposed potential federal actions regarding the limits on environmental efforts, according to fourth-year student and SAS vice president, Kiersten Sundell.

On the day of the rally, President Trump signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement for a second time, according to AP News. The climate agreement obligates nations to enact and pursue policy with the goal of addressing climate change. 

“[The Trump administration] is an attack on everything you can possibly think of that has to do with the environment,” Sundell said. “Some of the work [SAS has] been doing could be illegal in the next two years, and with the over 200 executive orders over the past two days, it could be illegal quicker than that.” 

SAS hopes to amplify younger voices of environmental advocacy, according to Sundell. The group works toward this by collaborating with URI faculty and outside organizations to support Rhode Island environmental initiatives. 

“We’re trying to bring student voices into climate action spaces,” Sundell said. “A lot of the environmental organizations are spearheaded by retired folks, which is awesome because they have lots of time, but they are not going to be the ones solving these problems.”

Angelina Luongo, a third-year student in aquaculture and fisheries at URI, attended the rally with friends. Luongo expressed concern about how climate change will affect her future career in fisheries.

Luongo felt strongly about how the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority budget deficit could affect the Rhode Island community and the climate

 RIPTA faces a $32.6 million budget shortfall in Gov. Dan McKee’s spending plan for fiscal year 2026, according to the Rhode Island Budget Office. Individuals at the Jan. 20 rally worried this deficit would result in a decreased amount of circulating RIPTA buses.

“If there’s one person per car with hundreds of thousands of cars on the road [but] you can fit 30 people on a bus, that gets rid of 30 cars on the road,” Luongo said. 

Luongo said rally speakers, including Rep. Jennifer Stewart from the 59th district in Pawtucket, mentioned how Rhode Islanders are typically within a 45 minutes drive to the state capitol. 

“You can go and speak your mind and someone will listen because it’s easily accessible,” Luongo said. 

Trump’s policies plan to give more power to the state legislature, according to Sundell. The Rhode Island State Legislature outlined its 2025 Climate Action Strategy on the state’s official website, which had an emphasis on pollution reduction.

“I’m confident in our local community and local legislature to get things done, but as far as the rest of the nation goes, it’s terrifying for us,” Sundell said. 

Sundell said people must continue to fight for climate justice in the face of adversity. 

“We’re hoping people’s anger will motivate them and mobilize them,” Sundell said. “This will allow us to put together constructive programs and movements that will at least push the state forward.” 

Visit the Student Action for Sustainability Instagram page @uri_sas for information about future events and community rallies.