Global marches help put focus on climate change

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Accompanied by drumbeats, wearing costumes and carrying signs, thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Manhattan and other cities around the world Sunday to urge policy makers to take action on climate change.

The crowds of marchers, which included actors Mark Ruffalo and Evangeline Lilly, wound through midtown Manhattan, joined along the way by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, former Vice President Al Gore and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The march was one of a series of events large and small that took place around the world — organizers said 40,000 marchers took part in an event in London, while a small gathering in Cairo featured a 50-foot art piece representing wind and solar energy — two days before the United Nations Climate Summit. More than 120 world leaders will convene Tuesday for the meeting aimed at galvanizing political will for a new global climate treaty by the end of 2015.