BCSEA E-News: Inside the People's Climate March
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- Published on Sunday, 26 October 2014 12:22
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BCSEA E-News | Thursday, October 23, 2014
Inside the People's Climate March
By Gisela Ruckert, Vice Chair and Cheryl Kabloona, Chair - BCSEA Kamloops Chapter
Two of BCSEA’s Kamloops members were in New York recently for the People's Climate March on September 21. They decided they would write about their experience in a two-person format so readers can hear from both of them.
How did you decide to go to New York for the March?
Gisela: Our trip was a combination of destination (NY March), cycling holiday (Vermont) and family visit (Ontario). We scheduled the trip around being in New York for the day of the March. Why not be a part of history? I’d love to look back and say “I was there!” Working for action on climate change at the community level can be discouraging at times, so I wanted to boost my own motivation by feeling the power of a large crowd unified in the call for change.
Cheryl: Gisela had mentioned several times through the year that she hoped to go. I hadn't considered going until I realized that I was already planning to be in Montreal to see my daughter there just a few days after the March, and the two cities are not far apart. So for me, New York was an add-on to the Montreal trip, and of course I was delighted at the thought of being there.
What was it like?
Cheryl: The March assembly area stretched for 27 blocks along Central Park and had sections for different themes. Organizers had advised everyone to arrive well before start time of 11:30. We arrived at our assembly place in front of the American Museum of Natural History just after 10:00, carrying water, snacks and signs. It was a beautiful warm day. We chatted with the people around us, mostly from the 350 Toronto and Canadian Greens organizations, did songs and chants, admired each other’s signs and took pictures…..for four hours! The long wait told us that the March was HUGE.
If you were watching the news from home in BC, you would have seen a lot more of the big picture than we did. We were basically in a microcosm of just what we could see around us, and cell service was so overloaded that we couldn’t get any news. But the mood was very positive and eventually we got moving. The last few hours went quickly as we walked through the streets of New York.
Gisela: My favourite part of the March was the signs that people carried. Such variety and so many clever slogans! There was a lot of really cool artwork and creative performances as well. I was amazed that everyone was so relaxed and good-humoured after literally hours of standing around. There was such a good energy all around.
Are there any special memories you'd like to share?
Gisela: Feeling the power of the crowd made me quite emotional at times. The moment of silence to honour those already impacted by climate change, followed by crazy, loud noisemaking sent shivers up my spine. The fact that this march was so well-attended by people who we don’t normally consider environmentalists leads me to believe that we truly are at a tipping point. Seeing faith groups, indigenous people, unions, students, teachers, doctors, veterans, business people, scientists, political activists and thousands of just plain “folks” was incredibly powerful.
Cheryl: My best memories happened at the assembly location: having my picture taken with Elizabeth May, connecting with two friends from Victoria, getting a picture with my two Kamloops companions Gisela and Carl, sharing the moment of silence and doing my one and only tweet despite the overloaded cell service.
Do you think it made a difference?
Cheryl: There was a tremendous feeling of energy and togetherness among the marchers, and I think we all felt that we were there to change the course of history. The numbers involved were bigger than anyone anticipated, in New York and globally, so I’m sure we caught the attention of world leaders. Of the many stories about the March, this is my favourite: http://truth-out.org/news/item/26591-a-change-in-the-climate-the-climate...
What organizers said, and I believe, is that the climate movement doesn't have the money of the fossil fuel industry but we are starting to show that we have the hearts and minds of people all over the world. That gives me hope.
Gisela: I believe that every successful movement is made up of a series of smaller actions whose impacts may or may not be immediately evident. While the March was a powerful demonstration that climate change can no longer be dismissed as an environmental issue, it was not intended to be an end in itself. The fight continues to get our political leaders to take serious action on the biggest challenge that humans have ever faced. I’m hoping that the visible commitment of the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets will inspire our leaders to make their own bold commitments. But all of us need to keep up the pressure.
Cheryl: I'd like to leave our readers with two quotes. On the evening before the March, we attended an event called "A Global Climate Treaty: Why the U.S. Must Lead" hosted by 350 NYC and the New York Society for Ethical Culture. It was exciting to listen to Bill McKibben. Among other things, he's a founder of 350.org, the organization that organized the March, and he suggested that the number of people marching the next day might be in the hundreds of thousands (he was right). These two women also spoke that night, and I found them to be the most inspiring of the evening:
Mary Robinson, who was the first woman President of Ireland and is now the UN Special Envoy for Climate Change, said "We can't have business as usual with a bit of green attached - that will not do...... It is us and it is now and it is so urgent for our children and our grandchildren."
Ambassador Marlene Moses, Nauru's Permanent Representative to the UN and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States, said "By making YOUR voice heard, you make it easier for your government to find the political courage to lead."
http://www.bcsea.org/blog/anonymous/2014/10/18/inside-peoples-climate-march
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