By Julia Berkman
Grab your compostable cardboard signs and strap on your Tevas; it’s time for the People’s Climate March on April 29! The event will begin at Maritime Park at 11 a.m.
According to the Facebook event, the March is being organized by Community2Community, Bellingham NoDAPL Coalition, Bellingham Racial Justice Coalition and 350Bellingham. There will also be an art build on April 23 and 27 in order to create signs, banners and posters to brandish at the event.
The People’s Climate March is a march for “climate, jobs and justice” that is being hosted across the country. The March takes place on President Trump’s 100th day in office, and is, in part, a reaction to the threat to undermine progress made to combat climate change.
ABOVE: A fish mural in the Environmental Science building on campus. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review.
A statement on the official website describes the reasoning behind the March:
“Everything we have struggled to move forward in the United States is in peril. Our loved ones feel under siege, and those in power in Washington are advancing a dark and dangerous vision of America that we know is untrue. To change everything, we need everyone.”
The March first began in 2014 when the People’s Climate Movement organized a march on the eve of a UN Summit on climate change. As world leaders met, the 40,000 some-odd people outside on the New York City pavement demanded their voices be heard.
This march intends to look at more than just climate change, although that is obviously the main point being addressed. It has become increasingly apparent in the past few years that climate change is connected to many other issues the world faces, such as overpopulation, exploitation of labor and colonization.
Whether it be the cause or the effect, climate change will affect people worldwide. The People’s Climate March intends to be a global effort to help all people come together and realize that we are not just countries, but rather we share a whole planet.
You can find out more about the March online on their website at https://peoplesclimate.org.