Posted on 29 September 2014 by howardlee

There's no way around it. The People's Climate March in NYC on 9/21/2014 was massive! It was the largest climate march in history. 

Drone footage of the NYC march staging area (Youtube)

The river of humanity that flooded through the streets of Manhattan on Sunday sounded the alarm on climate change for politicians in the US and across the world to heed. Organizers estimate that more than 400,000 people marched in New York, well over triple estimates made just a couple of days before. The NYC march was just one of many climate change protests across 166 countries as a coordinated message to world leaders ahead of the UN summit on climate change. 

The event was covered by mainstream media, so what follows are a few anecdotes and photos from my personal experience on the march.

Peter Yarrow (of Peter Paul and Mary fame, co-writer of "Puff the Magic Dragon") entertains families organized by Moms Clean Air Force and Climate Parents, and other family-oriented groups.

It's our future!

I knew it would be big when well over half the people on our packed double-decker train into the city were wearing climate t-shirts or carrying placards. But it was only afterwards, when I saw aerial footage of block after block after block of protesters, that I realized the scale of the phenomenon. Perhaps this is the turning point. Perhaps the human race might just get its act together in time to prevent the worst-case scenarios of climate change. 

It was a happy but determined crowd who began to coalesce at about 9:30 AM in a staging area that stretched 27 Manhattan blocks! Around us were protesters from Boston, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Manchester, and of course NYC. They were all ages, from babies to grannies in wheelchairs. They brought gongs and whistles and drums and guitars, ukuleles and vuvuzelas and saxophones.

Standing room only!

 Protesters flooded 6th Avenue

Hotel workers wave to marchers!

 The Empire State Building looms over marchers

When we finally got moving at 11:30 there were so many people that progress was slow, perhaps passing just one block every 10 minutes. We were in 6th avenue when the march fell silent and everyone put their hands in the air. The eerie silence was shattered a minute later by a thunderous cacophony of screams and whistles and musical instruments, "sounding the alarm" to world leaders.

Marching past Time Square

We finally reached the end of the march around 3 PM at 11th and 34th, but even then some marchers were just beginning! At 3:41 PM we received a text from the organizers:

"The march is so big that we're asking people to disperse just before they reach 11th avenue and 42nd St"

In other words: "Manhattan is full! Please go home!" 

So we found ourselves on a packed train again, weary and footsore, surrounded by the same t-shirts and buttons, compatriots of protest. Having spoken to the world everyone was too tired to talk more, but their message will surely echo through the halls of government for some time to come.

Parents carry tired kids after 4 plus hours of marching

Some choice slogans:

• Teach your kids SCIENCE! They're going to need it!
• Climate Change is real! Teach Science!
• Clean energy now!
• We have the solutions!
• If you see something, Say something!
• There is no planet B

 The Raging Grannies!