NYPD_hearts_climate_justice-15, picture of Steve Lambert (Flickr). Victoria Estok approached NYPD officers along the People’s Climate March and asked if she and Steve Lambert could take a photo with them. Officers mentioned they are not allowed to make political statements. These photos are not meant to show any endorsement by individual officers, and only demonstrate good will towards the participants.

(Read in French) The People’s Climate March was the largest gathering of individuals seeking to change climate change in history. The march in New York City involved 400,000 people and 1,574 organizations on September 21, 2014. To put things into perspective, one of the largest marches of the Civil Rights Movement, the March on Washington, had anywhere from 200,000 to 300,00 people in attendance.

While the size of the The People’s Climate March in New York City itself is astonishing, the March was not confined to New York. There were 2,646 solidary events in 162 countries across the world. At the most basic level, the People’s Climate March consequently challenges Malcolm Gladwell’s central argument on “slacktivism”, that social media platforms lack the ability to form close and personal ties that will enact change. The People’s Climate March is an example where individuals not only interacted with the issue online, but also took to the streets in unprecedented numbers.

The question then shifts to how the People’s Climate March achieved such an unprecedented turnout. One reason for the widespread participation was the emphasis on participating in a March that would go down in history. Both Elana Brown, a Campaigner from Avaaz, and Stuart Basden, President of 350.org Toronto, noted the central message of not missing out on a “once in a lifetime opportunity”. This message was broadcasted through social media and on various posters on every subway in the City.

A second reason for the widespread participation was the use of coalitions. The March was organized by a coalition comprised of more than 1,500 organizations around the world. While one might argue that this was consequently a decentralized movement, the key organizer was 350.org. Nevertheless, no single organization was responsible for the messaging or outlining specific goals. In examining the composition of The People’s Climate March, Dana R. Fisher, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, initial findings demonstrate that approximately 20% of those surveyed at the March in New York came with an organization.

Moreover, the study’s initial findings also demonstrate that 82% of individuals at the March had signed a petition in the year prior to the protest, and 57% had contacted an elected government representative. One can begin to see that while more participants came to the March with family and friends than with organizations, there were a large proportion of participants who were civically active.

Lastly, another reason for widespread participation could also be accredited to the organizers use of digital tools to disseminate logistical plans and information on the March. Social media undoubtedly played a significant role in disseminating information prior to, and during, the March as is evidenced by the fact that #PeoplesClimate generated 956.33 million social impressions on Twitter alone. Most importantly to the question on what brought 400,000 people out to the March in New York, digital tools were integral to getting the message out there beforehand. PeoplesClimate.org posted information on the March’s goals and contact information to get involved and detailed information on the logistics surrounding the March that included everything to bus routes from various states and Canada.

From this one can reasonably conclude that the individuals flooded the streets of New York in unprecedented numbers due to the utility social media tools and the Internet brought to disseminating important details of the March, the value of incorporating various voices through forming a coalition of organizations, in addition to the idea that the March was history in the marking.

The massive participation of a variety of individuals from different backgrounds has been used as a metric to deem the campaign successful. The campaigns Twitter account (@Peoples_Climate) summarized the value of such widespread participation highlighting that it is an “omnipresent counterpoint” to inaction as 400,000 people have demonstrated their commitment to addressing climate change. Therefore, the People’s Climate March not only provides us with clear tactics on how to incite mass participation, but also shows the value of having thousands of voices calling attention to an issue that is often overlooked.

Special thanks to Elana Brown, Executive Assistant from Avaaz and Stuart Basen, President of 350.org Toronto and Dana R. Fisher, Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland for their insights.