NYC People’s Climate March Draws 400,000

A good-sized group of Hotel Trades Council members was among the crowd of the almost 400,000 people that turned out for the People’s Climate March in the city this week. Members met up at 56th Street and joined the march down to 34th Street in a demonstration of common cause that was more than impressive.

The event was designed to coincide with a climate summit taking place at the United Nations in New York this week. In fact, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was one of those who marched on Sunday, September 21. He was joined by Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Vice President Al Gore and New York’s Senator Charles Schumer. There were also plenty of celebrities on hand, including actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Norton.

It was a peaceful and colorful march. There were plenty of banners and other displays calling attention to the exploding trend of carbon emissions. There was more carbon put into the earth’s atmosphere in 2013 than any other year measured, and the problems caused by this pollution are getting worse. Melting ice caps, swelling sea levels, long, hard droughts and worsening storms are all caused by the global warming that is occurring as the result of the rampant burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, etc.) to provide energy. Many of the marchers urged increasing use of non-polluting and renewable energy such as solar and wind power.

While some elected officials in Washington have steadfastly denied that any climate change is occurring, one gets the impression that these are the same kinds of people who once held fast to the theory that the earth was flat. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that proves that climate change is a huge problem, not to mention superstorms like Sandy and the ongoing drought in the western U.S. which is now the harshest and longest dry spell in our country’s recorded history.

There were 120 world leaders expected in New York to discuss climate change this week, and the Sunday march sure provided them with a message. Unfortunately, two of the biggest carbon polluters, India and China, declined to participate in the U.N.’s symposium on climate change, but it is likely that people in those countries saw the outstanding turnouts at the People’s Climate Marches in New York and other cities around the world. Various speakers at these events had a similar message: We all share the planet and we should all share the responsibility of keeping it clean and safe for everyone.

It is estimated that as many as 2,000 different groups participated in the People’s Climate March here in New York. There were labor unions like our own, religious groups, student organizations, community associations, senior groups, science clubs and many other groups from all walks in life and all corners of the globe.

“All reasonable people recognize that climate change is a very real and very serious problem,” Hotel Trades Council President Peter Ward said. “The People’s Climate March could very well take its place in history with other great demonstrations such as the Poor People’s Campaign, the March in Selma, and others that helped lead to beneficial change. The members of our Union and everyone else who participated last Sunday have every reason to be proud.”

It is estimated that as many as 400,000 participated in the People’s Climate March on Sunday, September 21.

It is estimated that the People’s Climate March in New York City drew as many as 400,000 people, including quite a few members of our Union.