On Sunday, September 21, between 310,000 and 400,000 people gathered in New York City for the People’s Climate March. In over 168 countries, more than 2,000 marches took place in preparation for this week’s United Nations Climate Summit in NYC. Photos from the march depict one of the most diverse gatherings of individuals, organizations, celebrities, labor groups, politicians and faith groups that the world has ever seen.
United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon wore a t-shirt proclaiming "I'm for climate action." He told reporters, "This is the planet where our subsequent generations will live. There is no 'Plan B', because we do not have 'Planet B.'”
Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore also marched with the U.N. Secretary General to promote the importance of climate change.
More important than the celebrities or politicians marching on Sunday, members of the faith community came out in droves to support the rally. The Huffington Post reported on the wide variety of faiths that were represented at the march. A reporter from Christianity Today wrote, “Almost every conceivable strand of society was represented in the huge column of humanity — not only were there groups of Methodists and Baptists rubbing shoulders with Catholics and Presbyterians, there were Christians marching with Muslims, Jews, pagans, atheists and Baha'i. Anti-capitalist protesters stood alongside 'Concerned Moms for the Climate;' doctors, firemen, and vegans held banners next to indigenous people and victims of Hurricane Katrina.”
The reasons that thousands of individuals came out to the streets of New York City on Sunday are vast and personal. But for many members of the faith community, spreading awareness about the decaying state of God’s creation was a moral obligation. Signs such as “Jesus Would Drive a Prius” and a life-size moving Arkrepresented the importance of taking care of God’s creation throughout the rally. In a recent interview with the National Catholic Reporter, Steffano Montano, a theology professor at Barry University in Miami, said as a Catholic, there's a spiritual responsibility to combat climate change.
"By understanding creation, we can come closer to the Creator. It's an added spiritual responsibility. Justice for the earth is something that affects everybody. It's going to affect my daughter, my grandkids. It affects the poor in ways we are still trying to come to terms with. And it's our fault. So that's why we're here. It's on us to make a difference," said Montano.
Many issues facing the world today seem frightening and hopeless Yet, as Christianity Today noted, no other current global issue shows such “indiscriminate indifference to race, religion, age, profession or beliefs as climate change.”
As Christians, we must understand Psalm 24:1-2: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.”
For followers of Christ at the march and those acting on the issue worldwide, it’s about a belief that taking care of the Lord’s earth and its future generations falls under the moral obligation to serve Christ.
Kaeley McEvoy is Campaigns Assistant for Sojourners.
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