75,000 people demanded urgent action on climate

by Kate Enderlin

On Sunday, September 17, SAFE co-chair Jim Mulloy and I, along with a few other friends, took a very early train to New York City to join the March to End Fossil Fuels. This march coincided with the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

We were among 75,000 people who crowded the streets of New York City to demand urgent action from world leaders, including President Biden. Mother Nature assisted us by providing a picture-perfect day.

The activists carried very colorful and creative signs. There were also many incredible props such as the whale and turtle floating above a blue sea with waves (produced by a group constantly moving the tarp). People from coast to coast were represented, as we spoke out for a Just Transition and declared that Water is Life and that The Gulf is not a Sacrifice Zone. We demanded that President Biden “Declare a Climate Crisis” and “End Fossil Fuels.”

As the Beach Boys would say, we all felt the “Good Vibrations.”

The United Nations Climate Ambition Summit this week in New York City is a call for leaders around the world to take our current Climate Crisis seriously. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging everyone to present new climate and nature-based solutions.

According to a CNN article: In a notable aside to environmental activists around the world – and on the streets of New York this week – Guterres said, “To all those working, marching and championing real climate action, I want you to know: You are on the right side of history. I’m with you.”

Though we arrived in NY right on time, our return trip had a 2-hour delay due to a car that was stuck on the tracks. It was a very long day but it was so worth it.

Kate Enderlin is a member of the SAFE board of directors.