A group of 34 Iona students, faculty and staff joined over 300,000 people in a historic march to urge world leaders to act on climate change.

The People’s Climate March in New York City on Sept. 21 was part of a global string of events taking place in 166 countries around the world over the weekend. The goal of these marches was to urge global leaders at the United Nations (UN) to enact a binding resolution on climate change.

The UN is meeting in Lima, Peru in December of this year to begin to draft the legislation to be voted on in 2015 at the UN conference in Paris.

Senior Megan Jakobson participated in the march, but was skeptical of the march’s impact.

“While it was one of the biggest demonstrations in history, I’m not entirely sure that the sheer size is what will force politicians to act,” she said.

Jerry Martin, Iona’s English as a Second Language Program Director, joined the Gaels at the march. He thought that the march may have the desired effect if there is more action.

“We have to convert the enthusiasm and passion for our Mother Earth that was displayed during the Climate March in NYC and various capital cities around the world into political and economic action,” he said.

Martin went on further to explain the need for boycotting products or voting against politicians as a means to promote more “environmentally-friendly policies and products.”

Peter Letourneau, a professor in the Biology department, talked about the effects the march has already had, noting that the Rockefellers announced a plan to divest all of their fortune away from oil. He was enthusiastic about the amount of energy he saw while watching the march online.

“I’ve been calling this the millennial generation’s Woodstock,” he said.

Others who marched were also glad to see so many young people in the streets. Senior Marlene Delices marched with Iona and said she was surprised to see the number of students that walked the streets.

The march was comprised of people of all backgrounds. Leading the march were those most affected by the effects of climate change, low-income people of color, native tribes and ranchers joined with prominent politicians. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had called for last week’s climate summit, was present at the front of the march.

The rest of the lines of march were filled with labor unions, student groups, elderly groups, scientists, interfaith groups and many New York City organizations.

With so many people from different organizations and backgrounds taking part, it was hard to determine a singular goal for the march. Similar to the Occupy Wall Street movement back in 2011, the People’s Climate March has been criticized for not having more unified demands.

As the world leaders meet in New York at the United Nations, people around the world wait patiently to see what impact the march had on pushing policy decisions.

Iona College has many organizations that allow Gaels to join the climate movement. Iona has an environmental sustainability club called IC Green, where students can do their part to help Iona and the New Rochelle community go green.

There is also the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue located on the second floor of Spellman Hall. Run by Brother Kevin Cawley and Sister Kathleen Deignan, the Berry Forum strives to enlighten people about the threats to the planet, inspire a deeper admiration for the natural world, and promote a continued ecological dialogue here at Iona.