History re-beats itself
September 26, 2014 12:00 am Leave your thoughts
Bam. Ba-bam.
Can you hear the beat?
The ground pulsates, the sound of our common heart. The year is 1963. It was Wednesday the 28th of August, and thousands of people took to the streets. They gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., to promote racial equality and justice in the United States. They had a dream.
The year is 2014. It is Sunday the 21st of September, and thousands of people are taking to the streets. We are gathering in cities all over the world, once again we are mobilising for change. We have a dream. And by continuing to fight for it, we will make that dream into reality.
The fight against climate change is a fight for a better future. A future where generations to come will still have a planet to call home. A future without oppression, discrimination and marginalization of countries, groups and individuals. A just future, for all.
The People’s Climate Mobilisation marked a fundamental shift in the global justice movement. On September 23rd UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hosted a climate summit for political leaders in New York City. The purpose of the summit was to catalyse climate action and ambition, with the hopes of mobilizing political will for reaching a global climate agreement at the momentous climate negotiations in Paris 2015.
Over 2 700 events were organised in more than 150 countries in the days before the climate summit. The People’s Climate Mobilisation is already historical, and we have just started. We are mobilising, organising and building power to move towards the future that we know is within our reach.
People are tired of standing idly by as politicians, multinational companies and other privileged influencers are dictating the rules and setting the path. The political apathy demarcating the international climate negotiations is one of many indicators of the dead end towards which we are currently heading. The fight for equality and climate justice has never been more pressing. Our message is clear; we, the people, demand action, not words.
And the time to act is now.
The ground pulsates to the sound our heart. We are the people, and we have a dream.
Bam. Ba-bam.
History re-beats itself. The world is mobilising. And the sound is that of revolution.
Kitty Ehn
Economist and climate activist
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This post was written by Kitty Ehn