One year after 400,000 people marched in New York City to urge leaders around the world to act on climate change, the People’s Climate Movement is working on another day of action.
On Monday, the one-year anniversary of the major march in New York, the nascent organization announced its next major action day will take place on Oct. 14 in 40 cities across the country. It’s a major undertaking that Rev. Fletcher Harper, executive director of Greenfaith, hopes will send a message six weeks ahead of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Paris.
“It’s vital that world leaders and leaders in this country see really strong support from diverse sectors of society ahead of Paris,” he said. “It’s not an overstatement to say the timing (is important); we’re up against the deadline and the time to act is now.”
The National Day of Action will promote reduced use of fossil fuels, which many scientists blame for causing the increase in greenhouse gases and global warming.
The talks in Paris that start at the end of November and run until Dec. 11 are expected to be a major turning point in the discussion about what to do about man’s impact on the planet.
There has been speculation that American and European Union leaders are some of the main obstacles in the way of a $100 billion per year fund that would help developing countries deal with the effects of climate change.
Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, believes it’s crucial to send a message to the world that Americans are ready to participate, regardless of politics.
“It’s a life and death issue for many of our people,” he said of indigenous populations. “We should not be in the situation where we’re forced to adapt to a changing climate. We’re putting the pressure on and the president has to hear this, that we need action now and with real solutions.”
Since last September, the leaders of the People’s Climate Movement have been working with social justice groups across the country to unite their causes. By linking human rights, labor and racial groups together with environmental groups, they hope to have a much bigger impact.
Rev. Gabriel Salguero, founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, is the leader of one of those groups making new connections to the environmental movement. For many years, his group has worked with migrant refugees, a group he said faces many challenges due to climate change.
Three thousand evangelical churches will join in the October day of action, he said. He said the large number of churches would participate because “the Gospel requires it of us.”
The expanded day of action is roping in activists in some parts of the country that could only watch the major march in New York last year.
Kaydrianne Young, organizer and youth leader for the New Florida Majority in Miami, said she saw images from the rally last year and was amazed. It didn’t take long, however, for her amazement to turn to disappointment that she was so far away from New York City.
This year, Young and her group will lead a parade and rally in South Florida to call attention to their cause. In addition, she said the People’s Climate Movement National Day of Action has allowed her to build up more political capital with local and state officials to keep things moving on a local level long after Oct. 14.
“It’s social justice and racial justice groups working together with environmental groups to really bring a new face to the environmental movement,” she said.
