The People’s Climate March- "Largest-Ever" Climate March held in NYC

      

In this age of technology, millennials have chosen hash tag activism as the go-to medium to voice outrage and concern over issues we care about. But this past weekend, we had the opportunity to march for a cause that not only affects us, but future generations as well.  On Sunday, Sept. 21^st, the largest climate march in history happened in New York City. Over 1,000 business, organizations and groups collaborated to put together The People’s Climate March.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness about climate change and to demand environmental justice and equality. The march was broken up into contingents to represent the different issues and publics affected by climate change. These themed contingents were organized based on identity, location and issues. University and college students were grouped with the “We Build the Future” group.

Also part of this group were elders, parents, kids and families. I thought it was interesting that the old and young were placed in the same group titled “We Build the Future.” All too often, the old and young are pit against each other. The older generations turn their noses up at our “apathetic” ways. And sometimes our generation’s access to unlimited information prevents us from seeing how we can learn from our seniors. By placing the old and young in the same group, the organizers of The People’s Climate March, made a powerful statement: Addressing climate change will be a joint effort that will require all generations to work together to create a greener, cleaner world for future generations.

What I liked most about The People’s Climate March is its acknowledgement of the complexity of climate change. It is an issue that affects countries, socio-economic classes, economies, etc. in different ways. With this said, I’m glad the march visually depict the complexity of climate change through the themed contingents and the diversity of its participants.

The People’ Climate March was strategically planned to fall on the Sunday before the U.N. gathered for a Climate Summit in New York City. This summit will occur on Tuesday, Sept. 23^rd. World leaders will gather to work out an agreement to reduce global warming pollution.

Tweeting or posting about climate change on our cyber walls is nice, but actions speak louder than words. Midterm elections are coming up, and if you are 18 or older, you have the opportunity to make your voice heard. Learn what political candidates’ stances are on environmental issues and what their plan of action is to address these issues. And if you could make it to the People’s Climate Change march on Sept. 21^st, you had the opportunity to be a part of this historic moment.

For information about the march, visit http://peoplesclimate.org/march/

For more information about the Climate Summit, visit http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/

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