October 6, 2015
Want to take action on climate? Here’s your chance! The People’s Climate Movement is organizing a National Day of Action on October 14th, 2015. With actions all over the US, you won’t have to travel far to be a part of the global climate movement. Find an action near you and make your voice heard!
Throughout history, group protests and marches have precipitated major change, and that’s remained true in modern times. Martin Luther King’s march to the Lincoln Memorial and “I Have a Dream” speech ushered in civil rights legislation. A million people occupied Beijing’s Tiananmen Square seeking democratic reforms, and the fallout from the government’s brutal intervention set China on a course toward liberalization. Ongoing protests and demonstrations throughout Germany led to its governments finally breaking down the Berlin wall.
We’re on the cusp of another revolution, where we either take immediate and decisive international action against climate change— or lock in a future where impacts including extreme weather, droughts, species die-off and rising sea levels become worse and worse. The climate movement is asking world leaders to commit to switch the global economy from fossil fuels to clean energy. We believe that everyone, everywhere has the right to a future without the worst risks of climate change.
And just like movements of the past, it’s taken a huge, and global, mobilization of people to make that message heard. While the climate movement has been active for years, the People’s Climate March last September saw 700,000 people peacefully marching around the world, on a scale that created a real force for change.
Top cabinet ministers joined the March, along with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The March did affect the UN summit the next year, as leaders from around the world pointed to the March as evidence that nations needed to get more serious about the climate agenda.
Throughout the rest of 2014 and 2015, the climate movement continued to put pressure on world leaders, and demand that businesses, organizations and institutions divest from fossil fuels. As a result, countries from the EU to China and even the US, have set more aggressive carbon reduction goals that weren’t thought possible a year earlier. This December, Paris will host the largest and most significant global climate change summit of the decade— this is really our key chance to get things right, and agree to a set of solutions that involve the whole world. But in order to succeed in Paris, we’ve got to continue to grow the grassroots climate movement.
Besides the October 14th Day of Action, climate marches will also be taking place around the world this November leading up to the Paris UN climate summit. Last year we saw 700,000 in the streets, and organization leaders are expecting an even greater turnout this time. If you marched last year, you know just how inclusive, exciting, fun and, frankly, empowering it is to take part in what already has become a major historical turning point. If you haven’t marched before, this year it’ll be even easier to take part— with events in more cities and locations near you.
People power is the best way to get our message out there, and make sure it’s heard around the world. Find out more about the People’s Climate Movement and find an action near you!
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With a landmark climate action agreement in place including commitments from 196 countries to fight climate change, now is the time to keep the pressure on and ensure swift action. This climate agreement wouldn’t have happened without millions of people around the world taking action. And we won’t be able to meet the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement without millions and millions more people taking action in support of a rapid transition to clean energy. Paris was just the beginning, not the end. Let’s get to work towards a greener, cleaner future. Add your voice to the millions demanding action and sign the petition today!