Fighting climate change isn’t a niche interest for environmental activists ― it’s the patriotic thing for all Americans do to. At least, that’s the message of a new video from the Sierra Club meant to inspire people to march in the streets and raise awareness about the issue.
The Sierra Club released “We Hold These Truths” on Friday to promote the People’s Climate March, a nationwide protest planned for April 29.
In the short video, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Chloë Sevigny read a call to action cobbled together from sections of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, “God Bless America,” the inscription on the Statue of Liberty and the Oath of Office of the President of the United States.
The video shows stunning scenes of the country’s natural beauty and industrial might, as well as destruction and devastation ― a flood swallowing a neighborhood, a boy struggling to breathe as a factory belches smoke, a polar bear losing its home as sea ice melts around it.
“Defending this land and its people has always been the American thing to do,” Sevigny says.
The video encourages viewers to participate in the march later this month, which was organized by groups who planned a similar event in 2014. More than 400,000 people, including Gordon-Levitt, attended the 2014 People’s Climate March in New York City.
Back then, Gordon-Levitt said, he wasn’t convinced that a protest could spur actual change.
“I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged to see it lead to real legislation that could help make a difference,” he said in a statement. “Now those policies are under attack. So it’s time to march again.”
There are climate marches planned in dozens of cities around the U.S., including Washington, D.C., as well as in a few other countries. Activists will rally for “clean energy jobs and climate justice” and call out President Donald Trump’s attacks on environmental protections and the backwards steps he has taken on reducing climate change.
Darren Aronofsky ― director of “Black Swan” and “Requiem for a Dream” ― executive produced the video. He is also a member of the Sierra Club Foundation’s board.
“The climate crisis is the greatest threat to our country,” Aronofsky said. “Our voices must be heard.”
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