I went to the people’s climate march in New York last week to experience something bigger than anything possible in Cowichan – 300,000 people in the biggest march in history for action on climate change.
Actually, I was in Toronto to watch my son play for Canada’s national para-soccer team in a pre-qualifying tournament for the 2016 olympic games. But that is another story. I was near New York, and so seized the chance to be there.
But I had to work hard for my “big experience”: 4 days on VIA Rail’s economy seat to Toronto; 2 overnight bus trips to New York and back; and, 1 night sleeping on a concrete church floor in Brooklyn.
As for the hard church floor, I naturally had not taken a mattress. Hey, wouldn’t you think a 67 year old grandfather of three would be smarter than that? In place of foresight, I used my shoes to prop my feet off the cold floor, my inflatable neck pillow to cushion one hip, and my knapsack to rest (is that the right word?) my head and shoulders.
Maybe the church knows more than me about the benefits of suffering. But what the heck, if my trip was a tad high in discomfort, it was very low in carbon emissions.
I arose, painfully, and went to my assembly point in the anti-tar sands section of the march near Central Park. Ironically, I once was an environmental consultant for tar sands companies. The front of the march started promptly at 11:45 a.m, but since we are occupied at least 45 blocks, it took 3 hours before people near the end even got to move.
Once started, the cheerful mass of humanity unfolded like a giant accordion anaconda – constantly gulping in supporters from side walks and side streets: old ladies blowing bubbles; bugles trumpeting; stern socialists handing out pamphlets; and, ever hopeful environmentalists performing skits showing beautiful butterflies fluttering over a massive oil spill with a white scull painted on its black plastic forehead.
Yes, all types of people were there…and why not? Climate change will impact us all. And you don’t get to be my age and think that everyone is always going to be on the same page.
So did this carbon-busting snake of a parade squeeze delusions out of global-warming deniers; digest fossil fuel lobbyists; and transform slithery politicians to become leaders on climate change?I don’t know. But the news after the march that the incredibly wealthy Rockefellers are selling their oil stocks to fight climate change sure was a hopeful sign.
You and I can be leaders too. OK, maybe we don’t own oil stocks, but we can buy solar panels and electric vehicles and furnaces and so phase out our use of gas and oil. Ultimately, a snake-like parade of electric cars on our roads would be the best way to swallow up oil companies.
Personally, I drive an electric scooter. And in some strange cosmic manner, even knowing that many lives are been destroyed by this historic crises, it feels good to have the opportunity to act.