Salmon Arm is joining the world in urging international leaders to get serious about climate change.
The community will be among 750 organizations around the world that will stage marches and rallies on Sept. 20 in advance of the United Nations Climate Summit 2014 in New York City on Sept. 23.
Warren Bell, who is spearheading organization of the local march, said the goal is two-fold.
One reason, he says, is “to draw attention to the fact that global warming is taking place, it’s accelerating and it’s producing widespread changes that are having economic and social impacts on many parts of the world.”
Examples would be strange weather events, like snow in Calgary in September or flooding in Pheonix, Ariz. Another that’s not so obvious is the disappearing of summer ice in the Arctic.
The second reason for the march, Bell says, “is to join with literally millions of people around the world who will be marching just before the world’s political leaders meet at the United Nations in New York to discuss these very issues.”
He adds that Stephen Harper has displayed indifference to climate change.
“He makes occasional mention of climate change but only in passing and the actions of his government in aggressively promoting fossil fuel extraction and production suggest that he either denies its reality or is indifferent to the effects it will produce.”
Bell says people from throughout the Shuswap – Salmon Arm, Enderby, Sicamous – have said they’ll be participating.
“Interest appears to be growing as news reports and scientific research increasingly shows the profound impact that global warming will have on human society if we ignore it and fail to address and mitigate it.”
The Global Climate Change March will begin in Salmon Arm at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, starting from McGuire Lake and finishing at Ross Street Plaza.
A sign-making session will take place at 12:30 p.m. before the march.
The Climate Summit 2014 website states that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked leaders from government, finance, business and civil society to bring bold announcements and actions to the summit that will reduce emissions, strengthen climate resilience and mobilize political will for a meaningful legal agreement in 2015.
“Climate Summit 2014 provides a unique opportunity for leaders to champion an ambitious vision, anchored in action that will enable a meaningful global agreement in 2015,” states the website.