By: Michaela Kyburz
People sang. Instruments played. Signs were in the air.
People chanted and we marched.
On Sunday, September 21, 2014, in New York, the largest climate march in American history took place. There were people with all sorts of backgrounds present. There were bee lovers, panda lovers, farmers, bike riders and more. Each person had a different reason for attending the event.
For me personally, I was interested in attending the rally, because I wanted to be a part of the group of people that made the United Nations take action to stop climate change. The end count of participants was approximately 400,000 people. Being that I was one of those 400,000, I can proudly say that it was an event of a lifetime. The crowd was full of spirit and passionate about protecting the environment. There were too many voices for us to be ignored.
I interviewed several people that were at the march and asked them why they attended. A third of the people that I had interviewed were not affiliated with any environmental group. These were just everyday people that recognize the severity of climate change. Here are several responses that stood out to me:
“I wanted to let our leaders know that I am upset with our current policies that allow corporations to pollute and destroy the air, land, and water with no consequences.”
“I went to add another individual to the crowd, to make a point using shear numbers that this is a real issue that people care about. I want the world to take action. I am tired of pulling other people's recyclables out of the trash, but I will continue to make an effort as long as it is necessary. I can't just give up.”
“I have accepted global warming science ever since James Hansen's Congressional Hearing in 1989. Acceptance of the facts compels me to participate, in political efforts to push solutions for this serious threat to our future generations.”
“Climate Change is an important issue that can no longer be ignored!”
"I am scared of the dangerous climate that we will experience in our lifetime. I fear that the next world war will be over water."
"Although there are hundreds of things that we do as individuals everyday to combat global climate change, I believe that public demonstrations underline urgency and demand action. This is what the nation needed to push this critical issue to the forefront in the minds of politicians, corporations and citizens who remain ignorant."
“I feel like people do not care about important issues like the climate crisis until it affects them, with a natural disaster. We should not wait to take action.”
Article & Photos: Michaela Kyburz