On Nov. 29, Emory University’s Graduate Sustainability Group, the Sierra Club, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, the Turner Foundation and many more groups will march alongside Atlanta residents to call for strong climate action.
The march begins at the Old Fourth Ward Skate Park at 2 p.m. (we are encouraging 1:30 arrival for a pre-march expo) and will end outside the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield from the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Reverend Dr. Gerald Durley with The Generation Project will speak before the march, with several other guest speakers planned at the march’s end.
“Climate change is serious, but it is a problem that we can face with courage and ingenuity, rather than fatalism and denial,” said Chris Cuomo, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Georgia and secretary of the Georgia Climate Change Coalition. “From high school students to senior citizens, from farmers and lawyers to engineers and educators, people in Georgiawill be out in full force on November 29.”
“A key part of the solution to climate change is bold action at the local level,” added Dr. Jairo H. Garcia, Sustainability Management Analyst with the City of Atlanta, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “Atlanta is taking the lead as a world-class, sustainable city with our Climate Action Plan, and this march is a clear demonstration of Atlanta’s leadership.”
The day after this march, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris begins. At this meeting, world leaders will make critical decisions that will impact generations to come—including our own Mayor Reed, who will be in Paris for the conference. “The COP talks in Paris are a pivotal moment in this fight against climate change,” said Colleen McLoughlin, solar campaign organizer with Environment Georgia. “This march is about showing our support for strong climate action once and for all.”
The People’s Climate March Atlanta is spearheaded by a diverse group of dedicated volunteers representing Georgia non-profit organizations, businesses, academia, activists, religious groups, government and more. Learn more at www.climatemarchatl.org
