Why We March For Climate Action Today and For Many Days Ahead

This morning, millions of people around the globe will take to the street to march in support of climate action. Here in Asheville, NC, I will be with them.

Climate change threatens our national security. Yet, our Commander-in-Chief denies the very existence of the threat.  It threatens our Capitalist market economy, yet the head of the Federal Reserve Bank says it’s not his place to do anything about it. It threatens our homes, and as reported today in the NY Times, insurers are increasingly unwilling to shoulder the risk.

To secure our American way of life, the need for action is crystal clear. And when our leaders refuse to lead, Americans have a long tradition of marching, protesting, demanding change, and getting their way. That time is here. Right now. Today.

The demands of the protesters are straightforward and easily understood. Of paramount importance is decarbonizing the economy at maximum speed and eliminating our reliance on fossil fuels.

We are the most innovative nation on the planet. Actually, we’re the most innovative nation in the history of the human race. To say that coping with climate change is too hard, too big a challenge, or too costly, is, in my view, un-American.

Americans don’t shrink from the occasion; we rise to it. This our moment to stand up and say enough with apathy and indifference, enough with wishing the problem would go away, enough with saying it’s someone else’s responsibility.

Climate change is everyone’s problem. If we would only act and step forward, it could be our most incredible opportunity.

Into the streets we go today and, I imagine, for many days ahead. I hope to see you there.