Leonardo DiCaprio, Sting and former vice-president Al Gore lent their voices to the massive People’s Climate March in New York Sunday, demanding global leaders take action to avert catastrophic climate change.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and scientist Jane Goodall joined a throng of activists, students and elected officials who took to the streets.
Organizers said that more than 300,000 took part in the event. The crowd, which also included actors Mark Ruffalo, Ed Norton and Evangeline Lilly, beat drums, waved flags and chanted “No more climate change” as the march snaked along Central Park West and continued for nearly four miles.
Also read: ‘Cliffies’ Award to Honor Films About Climate Change and Global Warming (Guest Blog)
The event was organized by 350.org and more than 1,000 environmental groups. Its backers said more than roughly 2,000 climate-focused events were being held in 162 countries. More than 40,000 people attended the London protest, including musician Peter Gabriel and actress Emma Thompson, according to the Associated Press.
The #PeopleClimateMarch today was undeniably a historic moment in the fight against #climatechange ignorance 310k people strong!
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) September 21, 2014
President Barack Obama and more than 120 world leaders on Tuesday will be in New York for a United Nations climate change summit. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that he hoped leaders would take action and that the march’s message would be reflected at the summit.
“There is no Plan B because we do not have a planet B,” he said. “We have to work and galvanize our action.”
