Foundation News

More than 400,000 citizen activists, including more than 25,000 Sierra Club members, joined in what is being called the largest climate march in history. It was also the largest-ever gathering of Sierra Club members and supporters in the history of the organization. With funding from The Sierra Club Foundation, more than 100 buses from 35 states were organized by the Sierra Club, which also ran Climate Caravan trains from Washington, D.C., the Midwest, and as far away as California.

Indigenous groups, labor groups, youth, scientists, food justice and clean water activists, religious groups, and civil rights organizations joined environmental groups in calling on world leaders attending the UN Climate Summit in New York on Tuesday, September 23, to start taking real action to halt climate disruption. Among those marching were United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, former vice president Al Gore, and New York mayor Bill de Blasio, who just announced that the city was committing to an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The march's official starting point was on 59th Street at Columbus Circle on the southwest corner of Central Park. But from the early morning hours, the crowd stretched for miles up Central Park West to 86th Street and beyond.

At the Sierra Club stage at 75th Street, Beyond Coal director Mary Anne Hitt, national program director Sarah Hodgdon, current Club president David Scott, and former Club president Allison Chin were among the speakers. "This was an opportunity to show the world that the climate movement can and should involve us all," said Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune. "I’m proud of the fact that the Sierra Club was able to harness the energy and commitment of so many people to join together with so many different organizations that have the same goal – to take action on climate disruption and advance the new, clean, just, clean energy prosperity."

Years from now, if world leaders listen to the alarm being sounded by citizens to take meaningful action to curb climate disruption, future generations may look back at the People's Climate March as the watershed moment when the tide turned in the fight against climate disruption.

Check out this photo gallery of the People's Climate March.