The Climate Change March in the USA
Introduction
The 2017 climate march people in Washington DC, USA, attracted thousands of protesters got alerted at what they saw and thought that was the hazardous assault on the environment by the administration of Trump. These protests were sending alerts to communicate both surrounding and the political about global warming, according to Fandos 2017. The demonstrators got drawn from different states to back the act on change of climate. The demonstration came about following the continued dormancy on lack of action in relation to climate change. The protesters claimed that the only step that was necessary to carry out when the community gets threatened is to rise and defend back.
Cause of protest
The multitude that protested in the people’s climate march had various reasons. The demonstrators claimed to have concerns about the risks of the constant increase of sea in the city. From the very beginning, the organizers of the protest declared that the march as a result of increased global warming that had been caused by the release of effluents in the atmosphere. Some of the protesters stated that Trump’s administration was undoing what had been done by the former Obama administration. That is because the temperatures had risen from the past centuries, and the projections were high. The constant rise in temperatures had caused changes in weather and climate. That was evident as most places had seen deviations in rainfall pour, leading to floods, drought, and constant heatwaves.
Further, as the changes become pronounced, including the seas and oceans have presented the society and environment with several challenges. The marines had warmed extremely and become acidic, and ice caps had melted, and experienced the frequent rise of sea levels. Many demonstrators were old aged. They claimed to had enjoyed stable climate conditions over the years since their previous ice age. The constant change had caused them an effect on the supply of water, agricultural production, their surroundings, and their health and security.
Besides, the protest got led by the increased lack of employment and imperfect justice of the economy. At the beginning of that year, more people were looking for jobs in vain. Again the leverage for the skilled workers in the market then got declining. Others were in demand for the wage increase, benefits, and improvement of their working conditions. The economy had suffered much from the slow growth of income that resulted from the recession. According to Long 2017, the number of unemployed Americans surpasses the number of chances available in the workplace.
Aims of the march
The protest aimed to combat the climatic changes brought about by global warming, protect the future generations from the hazardous climate conditions, fight for their jobs, and cry for the justice of the economy. They also focused on rolling back the initiative introduced by the former president Obama on clean power plans. That came about as Trump’s administration had taken no action or initiative to protect the environment against air and water pollution. Further, they had the motive to champion for the restriction of exploring fossil fuel from public lands and water bodies. The protesters were also focusing on the instability of the administration concerning their position on the Paris climate agreement. Among all the reasons, the resistance for the climate efforts rollback was the main issue, according to Mooney, Heim, and Dennis 2017.
The authorities and movements of the march
Various authorities officially organized the event from different states. The Natural Resource Council of Maine organized its march, and the director of climate organization and clean energy project addressed the rally at Maine statehouse. Pennsylvania marches got held by Our rights, our water, and Our air and got sponsored by the solar revolution Erie among others. The protest in the Florence area involved authorities like the Shoals Environmental Alliance, carried outside the Lauderdale court. Some key personalities included the National Association for the Advancement of colored people director guided the Maryland protest. Different authorities got mainly from climatic association lead the demonstrations from the various states in support of the climate’s change protest. The rally further not only included the environmental activists and association but also learning institutions such as Yale school of medicine in Hartford, among others. The People’s climate movement orchestrated the movement since the beginning of that year on the protest against the policies of the environment implemented by the U.S government.
Outcomes of the march
According to Swim, Geiger, and Lengeiza 2019, the political and environmental marches have always had an impact on the marchers and the target group, which in most cases, is the government. According to researches, the movement was active. For instance, the marcher’s impression improved after the protest, and the group’s efficacy beliefs developed compared to past protests. Besides, the move impacted the perception of other people based on environmental policies. Many individuals were impressed and yearned to involve in subsequent demonstrations on climate change.
Conclusion
Protests are critical elements of social movement when carried out in the right and peaceful manner. Enormous protests usually facilitate mass participation in fundamental actions and enhance collective efficacy and minimize certain negative beliefs on marches. That is evident in the 2017 people’s climate march in the USA, for it impacts not only the fellow citizens but also the government.
References
Fandos, N. (2017, April 29) Climate March Draws Thousands of Protesters Alarmed by Trump’s Environmental Agenda. Retrieved May 19, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/climate-draws-thousands-of-protesters-alarmed-by-trump’s-environmental-agenda
Mooney, C., Heim, J. & Dennis B. (2017, April 29) Climate March draws massive crowd to D.C. in the sweltering heat. Retrieved May 19, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/climate-march-expected-to-draw-massive-crowd-to-dc-in-sweltering-heat
Long, H, (2017, August 8) There are 7 million unemployed and 6.2 million job openings. What’s the problem? Retrieved May 19, 2020 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/08/08/there-are-7-millions-unemployed-and-6.2-million-job-openings-what’s-the-problem
Swim, K. J., Geiger, N. & Lengeiza, M. L. (2019, February 27) Climate change Marches as Motivators for Bystander Collective Action