Disruptive climate activists retool for Trump era

By Robin Bravender | 09/26/2025 01:33 PM EDT

“The terrain is getting harder, but we are going to bring that exact same energy to the fight,” said the leader of the group Climate Defiance.

 Abigail Disney (left) and Michael Greenberg (right)

Abigail Disney (left) and Climate Defiance leader Michael Greenberg speak at a fundraiser in New York City on Sunday. Climate Defiance

NEW YORK — Inside a posh Manhattan apartment near Central Park on Sunday evening, a few of the climate activists packed into the living room were chatting in the back of the crowd.

In the front of the room, Michael Greenberg, the leader of the activist group Climate Defiance, known for disrupting politicians, had just started his fundraising spiel.

“Can folks be a little quieter, please?” Greenberg requested. “The only one here who is allowed to disrupt events is me,” he said with a smirk.

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The crowd laughed. One person in the room quipped, “The young people are coming for you.”

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