“Hey Obama, we don’t want No Climate Drama”---Over 400,000 intergenerational demonstrators marched through Manhattan on Sunday September 21st 2014 (the climate change “shot heard ‘round the world”) in what is now known as the largest climate change protest ever. Among the marchers were two vans full of Lehigh University students and faculty members. The Office of Sustainability and Environmental Initiative at Lehigh University encouraged students to see a form of public discourse that cannot be found in textbooks, it can only be experienced.
Over two years of planning went into The People’s Climate March — whose participants included celebrities ranging from Leonardo DiCaprio to Sting. Vice President Al Gore and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon marched led the march, which went from the Upper West Side to Midtown in a social capacity building movement to bolster and influence leaders at the UN Summit on reducing carbon emissions (at which a historic agreement between China and the USA was created). These public demonstrations come at a time where the United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP20 in December 2014 will work to create international legal agreements for countries to reduce their GHG emission in a meaningful way.
Students provided the backbone to the march and the section dedicated to young generations and students was powerful to witness.“It was important for students to be a part of a movement like this, its our future.” undergraduate political science/environmental studies and president of Green Action Kristina Barr reinforced. “If our leaders won’t lead, we will.”
The march was an enormous public demonstration and would be “a turning point” in the history of how climate change is perceived. Lehigh students were in great company; demonstrations were from around the world from Britain to India to Australia to Latin America. Police blocked off traffic on Central Park West from 59th Street to 86th Street to accommodate the army of frontline communities, students, workers, parents, scientists, and more who joined the march.
Below is a video that demonstrates the impact the March had on Lehigh students and footage of the event taken from “The People’s Climate March” and original footage from students and faculty who participated.