On September 21, over 100 Harvard affiliates, including activists and members of Divest Harvard, Harvard Hillel, and other student groups, joined the historic People’s Climate March in Manhattan. Below is a photo essay of the event produced by HPR contributing photographer Mattea Mrkusic.
[NEW YORK]
Between 310,000 and 400,000 protesters flooded the streets of New York for the People’s Climate March, beginning at Eighth Avenue near Central Park. The march, organized by 350.org, was timed to coincide with the United Nation’s Climate Summit on September 23.
Surrounded by parachutes, signs, and puppets, demonstrators make their way down 6th Avenue. Among the thousands were United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, former Vice President Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Bill McKibben, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
A young advocate carries his protest sign near Central Park.
Activists reenact the plight of monarch butterflies. Scientists credit dwindling populations to deforestation of butterfly habitats, recent severe weather patterns, and the influx of herbicide-based agriculture that destroyed milkweed flora in the Midwest.
A demonstrator dressed as a hurricane perches atop a street sign on West 54th Street, overlooking the march. Scientists warn that severe weather patterns such as droughts and heat waves will become more frequent in the coming decades.
The march, comprised of 1,100 organizations and representatives from 300 colleges, reaches Times Square.
Performance artist Matthew Silver carries the weight of a world afflicted by climate change.
Performance artists and puppeteers present an ominous image of a world that failed to take meaningful climate change action.
Jesus Holguin and Abe Vargas sit on the steps of “Green Drive,” a former airport shuttle bus converted into a vegetable oil-running eco-bus by the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island.
Harvard students Camille Schmidt, Canyon Woodward, Henney Sullivan, Mattea Mrkusic, and Jasmine Opie reconvene at Central Park West. Harvard faculty and alumni also joined the march.
Image credits: Mattea Mrkusic/HPR