Fifteen Houghton students joined 400,000 marchers in New York city this past Sunday for the People’s Climate March. Five hundred buses brought people from all across the United States to march for climate justice. Marchers held cardboard signs with the phrases such as, “There is no PLANet B”. There were voices of many who sought hope to see change in the climate and world. According to People Climate, this was the biggest climate march in history.
On Sunday, U.N. Secretary, General Ban Ki Moon called all the world leaders to discuss possible ways for climate change. According to People Climate, the meeting was held in New York City for over 100 world leaders and 2,808 solidarity events in 166 countries.
Led by Brian Webb, the sustainability coordinator of Houghton College, and his wife Becky, fifteen Houghton students attended the march. Webb said the reasons to bring students, are for “Students to learn more about the problem of climate change, possible global responses to address the issue, actions they can take to reduce our climate impact and standing up and advocating for action to curb climate change is the morally right thing to do.”
Webb joined the 400,000 marchers in the streets of New York. Those who participated in the march came from more than 2,000 cities all around the world. Webb said the students met with other groups, including Christians and members of Young Evangelicals for Climate Action, prior to the march.
Two juniors, Lauren Bechtel and David Tse, were among the 15 students who went to New York City. Bechtel said, “Just how blessed we are as Americans to be able to use our voices in the public sphere without fear of punishment. I had never marched before, and being a part of over 400,000 marchers was both a reminder of how small the individual is, and how powerful the force of individuals joined together can be.”
Tse said, “It is amazing to participate in something bigger than myself. It was encouraging that many people who were willing to give up their weekends and go out of their comfort zones to do something.”
The most interesting part of the march Bechtel mentioned happened at 12:58 p.m. on Sunday, when there was a countdown amidst all the noise then a moment of complete silence for those currently suffering from the effects of climate change. “The energy in the crowd during the moment of silence was incredible” said Bechtel.
A lot was learned not only about social justice, but also the effects of climate change. Webb said, “It’s time for the Church to stand up and say that we have a moral obligation to act on climate change. Climate change will be the defining issue of the 21st century, and how our country responds in the next 5-10 years will play a significant role in determining what the world looks like in the coming centuries.”
A New York Times article told a story of a 75 year old woman who travelled across the country to participate in the march. She wanted to “let the rest of the world know that people from small town America and rural America care about climate change.”
Foderaro, W. Lisa. “Taking a Call for Climate Change to the Streets.” The New York Times. New York Times. 21 Sept. 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
Peoples Climate. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.