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In a nice bit of irony, the route of People’s Climate March cut through the gaudy heart of Times Square, placing protestors under the smoky gaze of two-story tall fashion models. The contrast was delicious – and intimidating. We had marched into one of the cultural epicenters of indifference toward the steep challenges of our times and the tall canyon walls all around us mocked our suddenly puny protest. Even the neon fashion models seemed to smirk. Then in a flash, the indifference was washed away by an unexpected and joyful incident involving a tour bus, of all things. It was an encounter that lifted my spirits again.

And made me think.

It happened at the intersection of 42nd street and 7th avenue where the police had temporarily halted the long line of marchers to let traffic cross. My son and I were standing near the head of the line when an open-topped, double-decker tour bus sailed into the intersection. Spying the protestors, a group of tourists in the open-top section spontaneously raised their hands and cheered a cheer of support. We cheered right back. Wow! Watching the progress of the bus, I dropped my gaze to look at a tough New York City police officer who was directing traffic. The cheering had made him smile.

The entire exchange lasted eight seconds, tops. But the cheery triangulation between protestor, tourist and cop that took place in those eight seconds suggested a universe of possibility – that despite professional naysayers,
we could come together as a nation and get things done. People get it. We know what to do. If our leaders would let citizens lead we would all be a lot farther down the road toward resolving our problems.

The cheering also set me to thinking about next steps on my journey. Not only has the world changed tremendously in the two decades since I became active in the conservation movement, these changes have accelerated rapidly in recent years. Take the 400,000 people who hit the streets of Manhattan to express their concern about climate change, for example. People turned out in larger numbers than expected because we feel a strong sense of urgency now. Ditto with the other challenges confronting us, including what biologists are calling the Earth’s sixth great extinction event, now underway. Time is short and getting shorter.