Rising Tide North America

Rising Tide North America is a decentralized grassroots network of climate activists, local groups, and allied organizations operating across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its work centers on confronting what it identifies as the structural causes of climate change, particularly the continued extraction, transportation, and use of fossil fuels. Rather than presenting itself as a conventional environmental charity, company, or centralized membership organization, the network emphasizes direct action, popular education, climate justice, coalition building, and locally developed solutions. The broader Rising Tide movement emerged from collaboration among groups and individuals who organized protests and public events around the United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties held in The Hague in November 2000. Rising Tide UK was established later in 2000, while Rising Tide Australia formed in Newcastle in 2004. Rising Tide North America subsequently developed through cooperation among Earth First!, Mountain Justice, and other experienced environmental activists. The North American formation was intended to broaden participation beyond relatively insular activist circles and to connect fossil-fuel conflicts with labor, Indigenous, racial-justice, public-health, and other community concerns. The network describes its strategy as uncompromising opposition to new fossil-fuel extraction and infrastructure. Its local groups have challenged tar-sands transportation, liquefied-natural-gas infrastructure, proposed export terminals, and other projects viewed as extending dependence on fossil fuels. Organizing is decentralized: local groups and contacts generally act autonomously, and the network is associated with consensus-oriented decision-making rather than a single command structure. Public descriptions have referred to more than 50 chapters, allies, and local contacts across North America, including groups in Idaho, Utah, Portland, Southern Oregon, Chicago, Texas, the San Francisco Bay Area, Alaska, and other locations. Among the network's documented actions were protests against tar-sands megaload shipments in Oregon in 2013. Portland Rising Tide participants used lockdown tactics to delay shipments, resulting in arrests and police intervention. Rising Tide NYC organized several days of climate-related action in New York City in April 2015, including a demonstration directed at Governor Andrew Cuomo's office over a proposed deepwater natural-gas port. In southwestern Oregon, Southern Oregon Rising Tide—later known as Siskiyou Rising Tide—organized against the Jordan Cove Energy Project, a proposed liquefied-natural-gas pipeline and export terminal. The campaign also raised concerns about surveillance of environmental groups by public agencies and private security interests connected to the project. Pembina abandoned the Jordan Cove project in 2021 after years of opposition and regulatory difficulties. Rising Tide North America's public identity is therefore defined less by branded consumer products or commercial offerings than by a network model of climate organizing. Its campaigns combine protest, civil disobedience, community outreach, political pressure, and opposition research. The available reference material does not establish a conventional headquarters, legal corporate structure, founder, parent company, revenue model, or current executive leadership. The organization should consequently be understood as an activist network rather than a consumer-staples or cleaning-and-laundry brand.

Rising Tide North America belongs to the wider Rising Tide climate-activist network, whose origins are associated with international grassroots organizing around the United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties in The Hague in November 2000. Participants who came together around protests and public events sought an approach that linked climate change to the political and economic systems supporting fossil-fuel extraction. Rising Tide UK formed during 2000, and a Rising Tide group appeared in Newcastle, Australia, in 2004, with another smaller group later developing in Sydney. The North American network was built later by Earth First!, Mountain Justice, and other activists with experience in environmental direct action. Its formation reflected a desire to reach beyond tightly bounded activist communities and to develop broader coalitions around climate change, local environmental conflicts, community rights, and climate justice. The network's public description emphasizes direct action, popular education, and locally grounded alternatives rather than centralized institutional advocacy. Rising Tide North America operates as a loose federation of autonomous groups, chapters, allies, and local contacts. Reference material has described more than 50 such groups or contacts spread across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Examples of identified local activity include Idaho, Utah, Portland, Southern Oregon, Chicago, Texas, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Alaska. Because local groups generally retain autonomy, campaigns may differ in tactics and immediate objectives while sharing opposition to new fossil-fuel extraction and infrastructure. Consensus decision-making is associated with the network's organizing practice. One prominent series of actions took place in Oregon in 2013, when Portland Rising Tide opposed the movement of tar-sands equipment through the state. Protesters used lockdowns and disabled vehicles to interfere with the shipments. On December 1, two people locked themselves to a truck, delaying its removal and contributing to cancellation of the planned nighttime movement. On December 17, sixteen protesters were arrested after another blockade involving disabled vehicles near John Day. Police used pain-compliance methods to remove the protesters. In New York City, Rising Tide NYC organized three days of action from April 20 to April 22, 2015. The campaign criticized a proposed deepwater port that would have been used to import natural gas and included a rally at the office of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The action illustrated the network's effort to connect local infrastructure decisions with wider concerns about fossil-fuel dependence and climate policy. Southern Oregon Rising Tide, later known as Siskiyou Rising Tide, became involved in opposition to the Jordan Cove Energy Project in southwestern Oregon. The proposal included a liquefied-natural-gas pipeline and export terminal. The conflict also involved allegations that environmental groups were monitored by the FBI, local law-enforcement agencies, and private security firms funded by Pembina, the project's developer. After prolonged opposition and regulatory setbacks, Pembina cancelled the project in 2021. The episode became one of the clearest examples of a local Rising Tide campaign linking direct action, community organizing, infrastructure opposition, and scrutiny of security practices. The available material does not document a conventional corporate history, commercial product portfolio, headquarters, executive roster, or financial statements. Rising Tide North America is best characterized as a decentralized activist network whose historical significance lies in campaign organizing and direct action against fossil-fuel expansion.

• 2021

  Jordan Cove project cancelled

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Pembina cancelled the Jordan Cove Energy Project after years of opposition and controversy surrounding the proposed infrastructure.

• 2015

  Rising Tide NYC climate actions

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Rising Tide NYC organized several days of demonstrations in New York City against proposed natural-gas infrastructure and called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to reject a deepwater port proposal.

• 2015

  Siskiyou Rising Tide opposes Jordan Cove

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Southern Oregon Rising Tide, subsequently known as Siskiyou Rising Tide, organized against the proposed Jordan Cove liquefied-natural-gas pipeline and export terminal.

• 2013

  Oregon tar-sands shipment protests

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Portland Rising Tide used direct-action blockades to delay tar-sands megaload shipments, leading to arrests and cancellation of at least one planned movement.

• 2004

  Rising Tide Australia forms in Newcastle

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  A group formed in Newcastle, Australia, one of the world's major coal-export ports, with a smaller group later developing in Sydney.

• 2000

  Rising Tide movement emerges around COP6 organizing

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  Groups and individuals organized protests and events connected with the United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties in The Hague, providing the international setting from which the wider Rising Tide network developed.

• 2000

  Rising Tide UK forms

  [1]Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org

  A UK branch was established as part of the emerging international grassroots climate network.

A decentralized climate-justice and direct-action network opposing new fossil-fuel extraction and infrastructure while supporting community-based responses to climate change.

• 2015

  Surveillance allegations during Jordan Cove campaign

  Reference material states that Siskiyou Rising Tide and other environmental organizations opposing the Jordan Cove project were surveilled by the FBI, local sheriffs, and private security companies funded by Pembina. The allegations concerned monitoring of activists and environmental groups rather than misconduct by Rising Tide itself.

  Source

Read more

• 2015Rising Tide NYC climate action series

  United States · New York City

  Rising Tide NYC held three days of climate-focused actions from April 20 to April 22, including a protest at Governor Andrew Cuomo's office against a proposed deepwater natural-gas import port.

  Source
• 2015Jordan Cove Energy Project opposition

  United States · Oregon · Southwestern Oregon

  Siskiyou Rising Tide and allied environmental groups opposed Pembina's proposed liquefied-natural-gas pipeline and export terminal, combining local organizing with broader criticism of fossil-fuel infrastructure.

  Outcome. Pembina cancelled the Jordan Cove project in 2021 after years of opposition and regulatory difficulties.

  Source
• 2013Oregon tar-sands megaload opposition

  United States · Oregon

  Portland Rising Tide opposed the movement of tar-sands equipment through Oregon using blockades, disabled vehicles, and participant lock-ons. The campaign targeted the transportation infrastructure supporting oil-sands development rather than a consumer product.

  Outcome. The actions delayed shipments, led to arrests, and caused at least one planned nighttime movement to be cancelled.

  Source

• 2021

  Jordan Cove project cancellationOther

  Background

  The Jordan Cove pipeline and liquefied-natural-gas export terminal faced sustained opposition from Siskiyou Rising Tide and other environmental groups.

  Action taken

  Pembina withdrew and cancelled the project.

  Aftermath

  The cancellation ended the specific infrastructure proposal, while Rising Tide's broader opposition to new fossil-fuel projects continued as part of its stated strategy.

  Source

• 2015

  Broaden organizing through coalition buildingStrategy

  Background

  The North American network emerged partly from a desire among Earth First!, Mountain Justice, and other activists to move beyond insular organizing and connect climate issues with other community and social-justice concerns.

  Action taken

  Rising Tide North America adopted a decentralized, coalition-oriented model combining popular education, direct action, and local climate-justice campaigns.

  Aftermath

  The network developed local groups and contacts across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, including campaigns against fossil-fuel transport and infrastructure.

  Source

1. 1Rising Tide North Americaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rising Tide North America official websiterisingtidenorthamerica.org