If you’re still looking for a good reason to come out and join our big International Day of Climate Action rally and march in DC on Saturday try this on for size: the day of action won’t simply be the biggest day in the history of the global climate movement; it could very well be one of the biggest days in human history. And that’s not an exaggeration.
The truly wonderful thing about Saturday’s action is that it will be much bigger than just a single rally, or a single march on a single location in a single city in the world. It will be a truly global event. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it will be the first truly “global event” in history. For while there have been global days of action for this and other causes before, as far as I know none of them have ever included more than 4000 actions taking place in almost every single country on the planet. And while any given world cup final or Olympic opening ceremony may draw a global viewing audience of hundreds of millions, the ultimate measure of any “global” event lies not in its scale but in its spirit. And in terms of its global spirit I’d say our Day of Action on Saturday will beat even the Olympics hands down.
As the first truly global-scale crisis humanity has ever faced, the climate crisis is forcing us for the very first time to start perceiving ourselves as a true global community, facing a common threat as a species, as a global civilization. It’s forcing us to act globally, and seek solutions globally, as a true global community rather than as a collection of competing nations negotiating our way towards compromises that preserve our individual interests. By its very nature the global climate movement is leading us all through a door to a new era of global consciousness, to a transformation not just of the way that we consume energy, but of the way that we perceive ourselves, and our relations and responsibilities to each other.
So, considering that the Day of Action on Saturday will be the first truly global-scale expression of the movement that is driving us toward that new era of global consciousness and solidarity, I think it’s safe to say that it will be the first truly global event in human history. And those of us who participate in it won’t just be helping to usher in a new stage in the global climate movement; we’ll helping to usher in a new era of human history, a new era of global community.
And come snow or rain or heat or gloom, I’d say that’s definitely something to show up for. Go to www.350.org/dc today to RSVP today and claim your place in the vanguard of our global future.
Notes: Dr. Hansen joined the Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Amy Goodman of Democracy Now at our Earth Day rally on April 22nd, 2008. Both Ms Goodman and Rev. Wallis have recently released books addressing the issue of global warming.