Written by: Tiobe
In what is being called “the largest environmental protest in history,” over 400,000 people gathered in New York City for the People’s Climate March yesterday, Sept. 21, joined by people in 166 other countries marching to bring attention to climate change before the United Nations (U.N.) convenes its Climate Summit 2014 on Sept. 23. World leaders will gather in New York for the one-day conference and discuss the consequences of increasing global carbon emissions and possible solutions. 
“Climate change is not a far-off problem. It is happening now and is having very real consequences on people’s lives… But there is a growing recognition that affordable, scalable solutions are available now that will enable us all to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies,” states the U.N. Climate Summit website. “(U.N. Secretary-general Ban Ki Moon) has asked these leaders to bring bold announcements and actions to the Summit that will reduce emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and mobilize political will for a meaningful legal agreement in 2015. Climate Summit 2014 provides a unique opportunity for leaders to champion an ambitious vision, anchored in action that will enable a meaningful global agreement in 2015.”
While the U.N. seems to acknowledge the need for immediate, decisive action, out of the three top contributors to Carbon emissions globally – China, India and the United States – only the U.S. will be represented at the Summit.
“Climate change is an issue that affects everyone, regardless of what beliefs you hold, where you live; it’s literally planet-wide,” says Kathryn Barron, a Junior Biodesign student at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania who attended the march in NYC yesterday. “It’s also such a monumental show of concern that I wanted to do what I could to ‘snowball”’ it, even by just showing up and convincing a few friends to join me.”
“I felt it was obligatory (to attend),” says Swarthmore Sustainable Architecture Sophomore Adan Leon. “The issue is well past-due, and is in need of public support and attention. Moreover, it was such a massive convergence of ALL the issues surrounding climate change that it would be negligent to ignore it. We’ve been neglecting the issue for so long that by attending the march it sort of marked a turning point.”
Not only were the motivations for attending the event unique, Barron and Leon observed a unique atmosphere at the climate march. 
“At first I was going to say (it was) defiant, but that doesn’t capture the positivity, the sense that everyone there also wanted to propose solutions, not just say ‘down with the system!’” says Barron. “So on second thought, ‘motivated’ is a better word. Everyone was spurred on to do something to change our negligent treatment of the environment.”
“Too often people attack activists as having misanthropic priorities,” says Leon. “The idea seems to get perpetuated that loving life and all that supports it is mutually exclusive from loving humanity, and I think such a massive, cooperative, non-violent demonstration reveals some of the human aspect. After all, sustainability is as much about respect of other life forms as it is respect for ourselves, humanity, and future generations.”
Above all, Barron, Leon and conceivably the other protesters want YOU to be paying attention.
“Not to be melodramatic, but our existence is at stake,” Barron says. “We have to do a better job of relating to and using the environment and its resources, or we won’t be able to count on a habitable planet anymore. Fundamental needs— agriculture, water, stable temperatures and weather – cannot be met by an environment that is trashed, specifically (and most importantly) by excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.”
“People should be worried about this because it affects everyone living on planet Earth. Frankly, even if we abuse every resource and frack every inch of this Earth, it is going to keep revolving around the sun,” says Leon. “The Earth, and life in general, is going to be fine. The question instead is: will we, and our cohabitants, survive? Even if you are unconcerned with the wellbeing of your fellow man, you will experience the effects of climate change in a variety of different ways. Changes in costs, availability of resources, health, weather patterns… Our current form of consumerism is built off old ways of thinking, a mindset that commodifies people and abuses livelihoods and it seems that this is finally coming to the attention of the mainstream. We must either cut back our tendencies to consume, or start providing alternative ways of living.”
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Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/21/peoples-climate-march_n_5857902.html
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/9/22/this_is_history_peoples_climate_march
http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/
Ofcourse is a great event! But, isn´t this a big marketing campaign to make sure that american electric cars industry will prevail?
in the near future?
Good point. Where was this event advertised and by who? Hard to believe that this was purely a protest by citizens, you know…
I was part of the petition and the march ( in my own city in belgium ) and i heard about it by Avaaz.
…let them prevail, where is the problem? others will follow :)))