Thousands turn out for Vancouver climate march

Following a summer with record-breaking global temperatures and devastating wildfires across the country, thousands of students and Vancouver residents marched to call for stronger climate action. 

The march started outside Vancouver City Hall on Friday afternoon and made its way across the Cambie Street Bridge toward the Vancouver Art Gallery — mimicking the route of the 2019 climate march attended by nearly 100,000 people. 

This year's march was co-ordinated by several grassroots organizations, including Climate Convergence, For Our Kids, Doctors for Planetary Health and many others. 

According to a statement from For Our Kids, "all school boards, PACs and principals in the city region" were notified of the march, with support pouring in from the Vancouver, New Westminster and Burnaby school boards. 

"All of us have been touched first-hand by climate change. Every Canadian this summer pretty much was touched by smoke, ... so many people lost their homes, so many people had to be evacuated," said Severn Cullis-Suzuki, executive director of the David Suzuki Foundation to CBC's The Early Edition. 

"It's very clear that this era of fossil fuel supremacy must end, and that's why [we gathered] today here in Vancouver."

Cullis-Suzuki says the march in Vancouver is one of 13 taking place in B.C., with other events happening across North America and leading to a larger event in New York on Sept. 17. 

CBC photographer Ben Nelms was at the march and captured some of its moments.