Photo taken by: Minju Kim / Special to The Leader
MINJU KIM
Special to The Leader
‘I ♥ Solar Power.’ This was just one of numerous sayings that covered posters and flags that people carried at the march raising awareness about climate change.
On Sept. 20, over 85 students and community members led the climate march from Fenton Hall to downtown Fredonia at 9:30 a.m. Pickets, in the excited people’s hands, made out of cardboard said ‘Planet over Profit,’ ‘Water is Life,’ ‘I ♥ Wind Power,’ and ‘Ban HVH Fracking’.
Samantha Gaudio, senior early childhood education major, was asked what made her participate in the climate march.
“It was a lot of combination of things. First, my church that I participate in is walking today as well. Also, it’s the lot of things that Bill Nye had spoken about: the climate change and you should just really do this for your family, like your grand-children, or your great-grand-children. The world has changed just within the last hundred years. You want to do this for your future,” said Gaudio.
Gaudio also expressed her concern regarding the superstorm issues that are happening as a result of the climate change.
“Superstorm Sandy really hit Long Island, and I’m from Long Island. It was really scary not hearing from my family for couple of days. It was devastating that it completely took out such a large community. There are more storms building up like that,” said Gaudio.
The rally, hosted by ‘Chautauqua Citizens Respond to Climate Crisis (CCRCC),’ was held in the gazebo at Barker Commons, where the climate march ended. CCRCC is a community group that strives to raise awareness and take action regarding global warming and climate change. Participants of the climate march were welcomed by Premium Blend, a Fredonia a cappella group, with the song “Home” by Phillip Phillips.
After the performance, several speakers spoke, including Dr. Jonathan Titus, Dr. Ivani Vassoler-Froelich and Dr. Peter Reinelt, all faculty members from Fredonia as well as Glenn Wahl, a faculty member from Jamestown Community College. Most of their speeches were focused on asking people to take an immediate preventive action regarding climate change.
Glenn Wahl, who has degrees in geology and environmental biology, came up to the gazebo and began his speech.
“In a few days, President Obama and other world leaders will gather at the United Nations for a climate summit. We urge them to finally set the framework for the drastic changes we have to make. There are over 2,600 marches this weekend focusing on climate change. Parallel marches are being held in cities all across the US, and around the world: in London, Paris, Melbourne, Kiev, Buenos Aires, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, New Delhi, Osaka, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Singapore, Istanbul, Sydney, Nairobi, Hong Kong, and in thousands of other locations, as well as in Fredonia, NY,” said Wahl.
After Wahl’s speech, Peter Reinelt, an environmental and resource economist and chair of the Economics Department at Fredonia, gave his speech.
“The first thing I want to say is that ‘The time has come to start reducing carbon emissions.’ I said that seven years ago at the Step It Up climate rally on campus, and I said it 14 years ago and 21 years ago. This isn’t a sprint, this is a marathon, and in the next two decades I see risks but also opportunities for you to make a big difference – to make the renewable energy revolution happen and to make it happen sooner,” said Reinelt.
Reinelt explained about the center of controversial argument concerning the climate change.
“There is no scientific debate, only a political debate. Three basic parts of the science of no doubt: first, the greenhouse effect is real. Second, carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Third, humans are adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels,” said Reinelt.
Reinelt also mentioned the importance of fairness in regards to the future generations, developing countries and the poorest nations.
“In fairness to future generations, we have to start. In fairness to other countries, the United States has the responsibility to take the lead in reducing emissions. Of the human-made emissions currently still in the atmosphere, the U.S. has contributed 25%, Europe 19%, China 9% and India 3%,” said Reinelt.
Dr. Jonathan Titus, a biology professor at Fredonia, also began his speech emphasizing the climate crisis.
“There is no debate — the effects of global change are already here and happening now,” said Titus.
Titus mainly ran through other aspects of global climate change such as rising ocean levels, ocean acidification, the dance of life being thrown off kilter, species ranges moving and leaves becoming less nutritious. Not only that, he also mentioned more dramatic aspects of global change that are happening: more tropics on fire, 30,000 species going extinct a year, toxins throughout the environment, homogenization of the world’s flora and more humans than ever.
Titus ended his speech by advocating people to take action immediately.
“These problems are linked and eminently solvable. It is very important to keep in mind that these problems are linked. Seriously working on these issues will create jobs and set us on a more solid economic footing. People talk about the costs of tackling global change, however, the costs of not acting now on these issues is much higher. No half measures — move forward now!”
An open-mic session followed the main speakers. Marsha Johnson, a member of the League of Women’s Voters; Stephen Keefe, mayor of Fredonia; Jonathan Woolson, webmaster at Fredonia; Julia Wilson, member of CCRCC and professor of the mathematical sciences department; and students from Fredonia Central School gave their short speeches with a variety of poem, quotes and remarks.
At the end of the rally, attendees were asked to join the beach clean-up at Point Gratiot and the sing-along with musicians Cheryl Rich and Bill Moran.