This past Sunday, OutdoorFest joined the People's Climate March to the United Nations. With an estimated 400,000 attendees this was the single largest climate change march in history and one of the largest US protests ever.
Why We March
#PeoplesClimate
This march was about celebration and being together to effect change. People were there because of their love for natural spaces, oceans, stable weather and sensitive coastal areas.
The message of the movement varied from 'Save the Whales' to 'Adopt Solar' to 'Stop Fracking.' But the loudest and most prominent message was that the climate movement is a movement about people. This is a human issue that we must address to save ourselves and our marginalized communities. In the end, climate change will have the largest impact on those who don't have the money or the resources to protect themselves.
The wealthy will be able to hunker down, afford rising food prices, and insulate themselves from the vortex that will be our degraded ecosystems. The poor will not. This march was about them and everyone else who has seen that before long 'climate refuge' will have a new and terrifying meaning.
Who was marching?
"To change everything, we need everyone"
The march highlighted the climate movement's diversity and ubiquitous impact on people everywhere. And on Sunday, not only did New Yorkers of all demographics (age, race, faith, gender) show up in droves but people came from across the country, spending days trekking to make it to the march in time.
In a powerful sign of solidarity, UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon, France's Minister of Environment, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Mayor Bill DeBlasio, and many celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Sting marched with the protesters. Marching with the decision makers from the United Nations gave a powerful and direct message.
Another important group that joined this march that has been largely absent from the activism stage for years was the scientists. This march saw an unprecedented number of scientists take to the streets to take their research beyond just red flags and bring it to the public themselves.
What's next?
This is just the beginning. Check out this page for how to stay involved and work to effect change in our local community.