350 Voices
This past weekend, people across the globe made some noise about a number. That number is 350, the upper limit of carbon dioxide emissions in parts per million (PPM) that some prominent scientists say we can live with, without drastic climate change.
via 350 on Flickr
Bill McKibben, author and environmental activist is the man behind the movement, which has garnered global attention. To see images, visit the 350.org website. And if you have lots of time on your hands, there is a link to their flickr page where about 15,000 images have been uploaded.
According to 350.org, people in 181 countries made some contribution to the global call for reducing and limiting carbon emissions. And while I personally have been in a civic environmentalism slump since reading the article that I blogged about last week, regarding game theory and predicting (plummeting) political will for actually doing something to halt climate change, there was something about seeing images of a 350 gathering in front of the pyramids of Egypt, paired with women in Bangladesh and then people in Hollywood,that gave me goose bumps. Game theory might not be able to predict how civilian mobilization can impact a political leader’s decision, right? Please?
But there are legitimate questions as to whether the number is feasible. For a good discussion, see Andrew Revkin’s write up in the Times. Some economists and scientists believe that 350 is so far from what we can economically achieve, that the legitimacy of Mr. McKibben’s efforts will be undermined or not taken seriously. Right now carbon dioxide PPMs are around 387 and some say that we are heading towards a concentration of 450.
McKibben might be onto something though. Even if 350 is not achievable, people need a concrete goal, something they can wrap their heads around. One of the most common concerns within the environmental movement is that climate change is too nebulous an issue to truly engage the masses. To most, it appears that the dangers are invisible and distant, the blame is spreadable and actions to improve often feel limited. While only part of that sentence is accurate, perception seems to matter more than truth sometimes.
So, this day of action which included 4,300 events, was an opportunity to bring these larger concepts into a single number, a common goal that hopefully someone will listen to in Copenhagen. But the real issue is, once you have a goal or destination, you need a road map to get there. And while scientists and educated common folks can decide on a number and organize rallies around it, political will and progressive environmental leaders are the only ones who can create this path through policies, subsidies, and incentives. So to all you leaders who are going to Copenhagen, hear us now. Create the path. We will join you on it…
