People’s Climate March Makes History!
UUs marched in NYC to affirm a new commitment to work towards a sustainable, just, and fossil-fuel free future.
Reports on attendance vary from 310,000 to 400,000 in NYC. About 10,000 marched in the Interfaith contingent; of these, about 1,500 were Unitarian Universalists (the second largest faith group after the Catholics – not bad for a small denomination!). The line of marchers was longer than the parade route (2.6 miles)! Crowds along the way were sometimes 5-6 people deep. Peter Bowden’s photos of UUs in particular and the Interfaith contingent at https://flic.kr/s/aHsk3YMmBE. More faith group photos athttp://peoplesclimate.org/faith/. Peoplesclimate.org has a one-minute video overview and http://350.org/campaign/peoples-climate-march/ showcases international marches.
What’s next?
How do we capitalize on this remarkable momentum and outpouring of energy to further the goals we all share? Here’s one way: Sign up for Commit2Respond, a new effort led by Unitarian Universalists “to shift to clean, renewable energy, grow the Climate Justice movement, and advance the rights of peoples impacted by climate change” and take part in actions during the coming years. Learn more on the UUMFE Commit2Respond page.
Rev. Peggy Clarke, consultant with the UU Metro New York District, organized UUs through this Meetup site. Find more information on the new Facebook page.
Read Bill McKibben’s article in Rolling Stone: “A Call to Arms: An Invitation to Demand Action on Climate Change,” learn about the march and explore transportation options on the main website, and check out the Facebook events page.
The march was conceived by 350.org and many, many other organizations have joined in for the planning and execution of the event, timed to coincide with the UN summit on the climate crisis.