This Sunday, September 21st, there is a chance for a historical moment in the fight against climate change. The People’s Climate March is flooding the streets of New York City to let the world know that environmental justice is due.
The timing is much more than coincidence with world leaders being in NYC for a climate meeting. The march is expertly organized and consists of a six-team lineup where people will discuss various aspects of climate change, including who is responsible and possible solutions. Details of the march can be found at www.peoplesclimate.org.
A bus will leave Athens late Friday night to take passionate students to New York City to join in the march. Representing Ohio University as a school is important, but the outcome of the march is really what’s at stake. If leaders from around our planet come together and decide to protect our environment, then the trickle-down effect should be enormous.
Top candidates to take up the challenge should be colleges and universities all over the country. Not only with the school’s policies, but in the actual education of the students. Higher education is about enlightening and sharpening the minds of tomorrow, and with our future at stake, the environment should be of utmost importance to the generation inheriting it.
OU has a benchmark plan to help make our campus as eco-friendly as possible. With the future of energy up in the air right now, this is a pivotal moment for our university to be an example of change. Alternative options of clean energy will hopefully be explored and eventually put into place. I’m not one to know the logistics of whether clean energy options would be feasible on our campus, but something must be done to take a step forward and lower our university’s carbon footprint.
The People’s Climate March isn’t about protesting issues with governance, but about promoting change. That change may seem bleak and unclear, but the first change must be putting the environment at the top of the list of importance. We are responsible for the survival of our planet, and it is time for the ones with the ability to enforce change to think about survival first. The march is simply the start of it all.
The march begins at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, and will snake through the west side of Manhattan in New York City. There will be many activities and celebrations at the end of the march to celebrate the historic moment. Good luck to all OU students attending the march, and to the everyone else marching as well.
Grant Stover is a sophomore studying English and a concerned environmentalist. Interested in attending the People’s Climate March? Email him at gs155412@ohio.edu
