This December, world leaders are meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark to draft a new global climate treaty -- one that has the potential to turn the tide on global warming and get our planet back on a brighter path. The problem is, most world leaders and their negotiators aren't getting it. They are not planning to do enough to avert the climate crisis. But we can change that -- with one number, and one day. Sounds implausible? Take a minute to hear us out.
The number is 350, and it's now the most important number on the planet. 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, measured in parts per million. Since we're at 390 ppm now, it's a tough number, and getting back to it will require remarkable efforts.
The good news is that people all around the world are mobilizing around 350 in a unique and beautiful movement to solve the climate crisis.
On Oct. 24th, the International Day of Climate Action, people from over 150 nations will come together in creative climate actions to take a stand for 350 and a safe climate future. There will be 1000s of creative on-the-ground actions everywhere from the slopes of Mt. Everest to the underwater reefs of the Maldive Islands to the streets of our biggest cities. All designed to drive the 350 message into the human imagination -- and help our leaders realize we need a real solution that pays attention to the science.
With 10 days to go until Oct. 24th, we need to take action now to make this day truly count.
Below are two crucial tasks you can take (and they're coming up fast!):
1) Participate in Blog Action Day October 15th – this year's theme is climate change. On that day thousands of bloggers will be doing what they do best; spreading vital information to every corner of the planet, efficiently and passionately. You don't have to be a green blogger or climate blogger to take part. Everyone from the celebrity watchers at TMZ.com to the techies at Google Blog to individuals like you will be participating. Register your site for Blog Action Day here.
2) Use your posts to help build the viral wave behind 350.org's October 24th Global Day of Action. This looks as if it will be the most widespread day of climate action ever; there will be thousands of creative climate actions in more than 150 nations, all designed to take the most important number in the world and make it the most well-known. (Watch our animation). Sign up to participate in an event near you and encourage your readers to do the same. If you want to start an event yourself we have a quick and easy guide.
It's the combination of in-the-flesh activism and online organizing that will carry the day here. On Oct. 24, activists will be uploading images of their events in real-time and we'll be displaying them on 350.org and on the giant screens of Times Square. By day's end, we'll have an unprecedented global gallery of images and stories, enough to make both old media and new ring out with this crucial number.
We need to make this viral movement go double viral -- and so we need your help. In the last 18 months, 350 has moved from the pages of a scientific paper to the center of a global movement. Now it's time to make that number... count.
We have a whole series of tools at http://350.org and http://350.org/bloggers that you can use to spread the word, and we're enormously grateful to you for doing so!
Onward,
Bill McKibben, co-founder, 350.org
Show/Hide comment form
written by T1 Rex , October 14, 2009