People’s Climate March Continues

The New York City People’s Climate March on September 21st, 2014 exceeded the expectations of the organizers as well as those who participated. A euphoric gathering of 400,000 people, the images of a peaceful crowd of artists, activists, innovators, renewable energy advocates, parents, educators, students, policymakers and everyday citizens strolling through the most densely populated city in the United States, continues to course through the Interwebs. It was the largest mobilisation on climate change in history. Also marching were UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Al Gore and many other celebrities and luminaries. In the wake of the March, universities and foundations continue to announce their divestment from fossil fuels and the Rockefeller Family Fund chose the Climate March news moment to announce their own plans to divest. Around the world, September 20-21st, 2646 Climate events were held in 162 countries, making front page news in all major outlets. Over 630,000 social media messages were generated worldwide, with Instagram, Twitter and Facebook overloaded by the activity. The global message of the march still resonates. Transformation is upon us as we transition as a consumer species from dirty fossil fuel use to renewable energy. This is the Click Moment into Action.

In Manhattan, not a single act of wild, rogue dust-up occurred that day, with the New York City police ushering the peaceful crowd through all the entry points, from the Upper West Side through Columbus Circle, as the throng chanted and sang through Times Square, their handmade signs a cheery contrast to the blinking billboards of Broadway. It took a full five hours to walk from the beginning to the end at the Javits Center, where Swoon’s Climate Ribbon project the final destination. The day proved replete with epiphanies about the power of a change-making movement whose time has come.

This week Peoples Climate, 350.org, Occupy Sandy, Avaaz and other partner organizations released galleries video, photo and audio pieces related to the March, including Democracy Now’s archived livestream, Ben Wikler’s recap; and Bianca Giaver’s audio soundscape on Cowbird. The multiple people-driven recordings of the events have created an unprecedented records of the Time for Change.