What a phenomenal experience the Climate March was! There were 400,000 people and more than 1500 of us were Unitarian Universalists. When I arrived before 9:00, 58th street was empty, but people were arriving by 10 and by 11 the space was very full and the pagans were drumming and the Jews were blowing shofars and the energy was rising. By noon it was crowded and by 1:00 there were so many of us it was getting uncomfortable. Once the gates were open, it felt like a party. Hundreds of thousands of people on the streets chanting and dancing and cheering for climate justice.

Climate change is the gravest danger facing humanity today. We are already experiencing its effects — rising sea levels, catastrophic storms, species extinction — but the potential effects of climate change are even more devastating. And while climate change affects all of us, its consequences will be felt most profoundly by the most impoverished and marginalized of the world’s communities.

By Barbara Alsop, First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, VT

If you haven’t seen the news yet, we had a Climate March in New York City today (said advisedly since I started typing before midnight but it is now the next day). The counts vary between the NY Times’ 310,000 and the organizers’ guess of 400,000. I’m not going to quibble over details. The bottom line is that a heck of a lot of people showed up for the march, including 70 from my UU Society. That represents almost a quarter of our regularly appearing congregation, and it also represents the incredible generosity of the members who could not go.

Join us next month in taking action to support climate justice! Attend the People’s Climate March in New York City on September 21 or find, support, or organize a related event in your area.

Climate change poses a threat to human rights in the United States and around the world. From women’s empowerment to disaster recovery, from access to clean water to food sustainability, efforts to improve human rights are already being strained by climate change.

The science supporting climate change is irrefutable. As faithful stewards of the earth, we must act. Our efforts, combined with the efforts of millions of others, can make a difference. I invite you to join me one month from today in bringing attention to this global issue.

On Sunday, September 21, 2014, an estimated 1 million people will gather in New York City for the People’s Climate March in advance of the United Nations Climate Summit. I will be there representing Unitarian Universalism. Join me in NYC, and together we will show world leaders that there is deep concern for the environment and that we are ready to engage with them to face the challenges ahead.