QUINCY – Protesters gathered around the statue of President John Adams outside Quincy City Hall on Monday to demand that state legislators pass a climate justice bill in the coming days.

The event, hosted by Mass Power Forward, was one of 11 protests across the state from Pittsfield to North Andover to Provincetown. Protesters demanded action from  state senators and representatives who they say are running out of time to put forward a bill that addresses climate and offshore wind policies.

"We need the Legislature to pass a big, bold climate bill," Claire Miller, founder and co-coordinator of Mass Power Forward, said. 

Mass Power Forward is a coalition of environmental leaders throughout Massachusetts. Members of local activist groups were in attendance Monday, including people from the Quincy Tree Alliance, Mothers Out Front and the Quincy Climate Action Network.

The protesters – using signs, chants and passionate calls for change – aimed to get the attention of state Rep. Tackey Chan, D-Quincy, who is a negotiator on a conference committee of House and Senate members meeting about the environmental bill.

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Miller said the committee has 10 days left to propose a bill before the governor has the ability veto it. If the bill is vetoed, legislators will have to wait until the next session to put forward a bill. 

The time of the protest, on the 11th day of the month at 11 a.m., is associated with Armistice Day, when World War I ended. 

As people walked through Hancock-Adams Common, protesters stepped up to the microphone to share information about local environmental issues.

Margaret Bellafiore, of the group Fore River Residents Against the Compressor Station, said people need to continue fighting to shut down the compressor station on the banks of the Fore River. Bellafiore said the station is damaging the air quality in the Fore River Basin. Quincy is fighting the compressor station in court. 

"We are not giving up," Bellafiore said. "We will shut it down."

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Lily Yu, of the group Mothers Out Front based in Brookline, said she is concerned that the state is not moving quickly enough toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Yu  asked people to call their legislators and ask them to support environmental protection policies. 

Many of the protesters not only called for action, they also shared their emotions and worries for the future. 

Deane Coady, from Mothers Out Front, said she worries about the environmental challenges her grandchildren will have to face. 

"I am scared to death," Coady said. "I wake up every day anxious."

For more information on Mass Power Forward, visit mapowerforward.com. 

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To reach Katherine Canniff, email kcanniff@patriotledger.com